Senzala Seattle is instructed by Marcos Fernandes, known in Capoeira as Instrutor Risco, under the guidance of Mestre Gato from Rio de Janeiro.
We are part of the larger Senzala group, which is represented in many different countries including the US, the UK, Denmark, France, Italy, the Basque Country, Serbia, and Brazil.
Instrutor Risco and Contra Mestre Pedro Cachorro
Risco has been involved in Capoeira since 1987. This interest led him to pursue a degree in Physical Education, which he received from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná in 1997 and he has been working as a professional sports instructor since then. He first met Mestre Gato in 2000 in Cambridge -UK, where he was training and instructing with the help of Professor Carousel and Professor Sangue Bom. He immediately recognized Mestre Gato as a sage, openhearted man with whom he could learn and progress.
After moving to Seattle, Risco decided to open a new branch of Senzala, to continue the work that had been so rewarding in Cambridge. Instrutor Risco founded Senzala Seattle in the summer of 2003, and has since built up a committed and friendly group of students. In his classes, Risco believes that a strong technical foundation and exposure to a rich variety of movements helps students realize their potential and develop their own voice within the art form. He emphasizes personal creativity and believes that one of the most important lessons that can be learned from Capoeira is respect, for oneself and for others.
Instrutor Risco and the members of Senzala Seattle also recognize that Capoeira provides a potent means to build stronger communites and encourages the celebration of diversity. For this reason we began the Rites of Change project in 2006, a collaboration between Senzala Seattle and the non-profit organization Bahia Street to provide a Capoeira program to girls from impoverished families in Brazil. This provides us with the opportunity to honor and support the communities from which Capoeira arose, the poorest and most marginalized in Brazilian society.
One does not have to look abroad to find communities struggling with poverty and violence. Here in Seattle, we are working with the South Park Community Center to build a Capoeira program for at-risk-youth, as part of an anti-gang program. Still in its early days, we are hoping that this project will empower these kids with a sense of self-respect and teach them how dedication and effort can provide them with skills they'd never imagined having.
Instrutor Risco teaching class