 "Capoeira entered into my life even before I entered the world. I, Alessandro Gomes de Reis, was born in November 1974 but those close to me say that the tiny Mestre (Master) Cicatriz was gingaring in the womb long before that! I can't remember that far back, but I probably enjoyed the echoes of the atabaque drums and the berimbaus just as much as my pregnant mother who made a habit of watching the rodas in which my older brothers participated. Capoeira has always been part of my life. My obsession with the sport turned into an addiction in 1982, when I was eight years old. Seeing my older brothers arrive home, sw  eaty and exhausted, made me realize that Capoeira was not only a physical challenge but a psychological one as well. It not only disciplined my brothers to survive the most dangerous of rodas, but to survive the great roda of life and fight for their own place in this world. It gave them a second family, friends and positive role models to look up to. This social aspect and unity is what I value in Capoeira. Many people do not realize it, but Capoeira does not limit itself to kicks and esquivas. It's not just a fight, a simple dance or a martial art pretty to see. Capoeira is all this and much more. It's a psychological discipline, a philosophy, a physical challenge and a social encounter. Its teachings, if used with good intentions, can be applied to many aspects of life.My success in Capoeira has much to do with the support I have received from those closest to me. This of course refers to my Masters who have been there for me from the beginning till this very day. Mestre Lotar has had a double dose of me - both as a student and as an annoying child who imposed himse  lf as a permanent visitor in his house. Considering him a fatherly figure after the loss of my own father, I feasted, slept, played and trained under the roof of Mestre Lotar and without fail, I put up a fight when my mother came to reclaim her son and drag him home. The same goes for Mestre Cabeca and without the two of them I would have lost many a battle which I have triumphed by means of their guidance and advice. Of course I miss my masters and being able to train with them but in return I have gained a whole new family of students in Australia, Indonesia and Thailand.My mother too, has always been a Capoeira goer as well as my number one fan! Of the five brothers that I have, four have crossed paths with Capoeira. Professor Tata now teac  hes here in Sydney while Mestre Torpedo has taken Sinha Bahia to Thailand. As brothers and fellow capoeiristas, we were more than ready to enter any roda, play any game and take any risk. We travelled every inch of Rio until we assured ourselves there was no roda we had not set foot in. And so it went, until the day when Alessandro and Renato died and Master Cicatriz and Master Torpedo were born.Renato's name is very reflective of his fast paced style of play and torpedo-like movements, while mine better describes my attitude that has led me to carry the scar I have imprinted across my chest. As an adolescent I found myself on the streets of Rio parading the new bike that my father had given me. It was a worthless gift but one of the few I had received in my life. It represented the fruit of my father's labour and therefore I decided it was worth my life. As it was, I was assaulted by two hooligans who, unable to release my grip of the bike, thought it might help to cut my chest open with a knife. Well it did help: the blood scared them away w  hile I tightened my grip on the toy. The fact that my intestines were on display was of no importance. The fact I had not lost my bike, was. And so I went home fearing nothing but my father's condolence of my foolish bravery. I therefore decided to hide the blood cascading from my chest under a white sheet and sleep the night away I don't give in. You can hurt me, but I know the pain will go and the wounds will scar - that's why I am Mestre Cicatriz!My life's worth of experience in Capoeira has led me to Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and the United States. I have queixadad the Caribbean, exchanged the ginga for sushi in Japan and finally came to settle down in Australia, where I continue to learn through my teaching. In all honesty, I believe I will never stop being a student - there will always be something else to conquer. Capoeira is not a picture that you can finish with one stroke of the paintbrush, hang up on the wall and admire for years on end. Capoeira is an art that needs to be retouched and perfected continuously. It is an ever-evolving phenomenon for the perfection of which even a lifetime is insufficient.  One of the self-set challenges which I really want to accomplish is to share my love and knowledge of Capoeira with the world. I want others to experience the adrenalin, the pride, the fear, the joy, the strife, the highs, the lows, the suffering and the well being that Capoeira has brought into my life and I want them to become better people because of it. It is a great challenge but one that we can achieve together with the students and the community. In fact it is one that we have already begun to accomplish. Grupo Bahia has grown into an affiliated International Association (Sinha Bahia) with branches in Brasil, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia. This has required the dedication of many parties including Mestre Binha in Belo Horizonte, Mestre Cabeca in Macao, Ms. Diah and all the students in Indonesia as well as numerous others whom I would like to thank for their hard work. Our Capoeira festival in Jakarta for example, has attracted much attention from the community and media alike and set str  ong foundations for the future growth of the group. More importantly, the participants have learnt much about each other's cultures and established strong international ties through Capoeira. My dream is of a Sinhá Bahia family. I have dedicated my life, my work, my world, my energy and myself to this cause and hope that amongst the hundreds of students of Sinha Bahia, at least a few share my dream.Mestre Cicatriz |
Tuesday, 07 September 2010
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Capoeira is a slave sorcery in the anxiety for freedom. Its beginning (or principles) have no method. Its end is inconceivable to the wisest of the mestres.
-- Mestre Pastinha