Mestre Marisa
Mestre Marisa Cordeiro is the founder and leader of Gingarte Capoeira Chicago. Born in Curvelo, Brazil, Marisa trained at the prestigious Cordão de Ouro Capoeira Academy in São Paulo with top instructors such as Mestre Suassuna, Mestre Canguru, and Mestre Urubu Malandro. She first came to the United States in 1989 as a performer with the renowned international group Oba Oba. After performing throughout the United States and Latin America for years, she returned to Chicago and established Gingarte Capoeira in 1991. She is one of the highest-ranking female capoeiristas in the United States and she is a shining symbol of the Brazilian community in Chicago.
We are a NonProfit
The goal of Capoeira Chicago, a 501(c)(3), is to promote African-Brazilian cultural dance arts, primarily capoeira, within the broader community. Capoeira Chicago offers Capoeira classes that include movement, music, and instrument instruction. Students have shared over the years that Capoeira has improved their self-esteem, self-worth, given them a sense of community and learned about their relationship to the heritage of slavery and African culture. We offer classes for adults and children throughout the Chicagoland area, and our classes are open to all, regardless of age, gender, physical ability, and ethnicity.
Our Partners
Capoeira Chicago partners with Bossa Tres, Urban Gateways, Old Town School of Folk Music and Chicago Public Schools. You can find us performing around Chicago and the suburbs. Capoeira Chicago is honored to benefit from philanthropic investment by arts-focused funders, such as the Illinois Arts Council and Arts Work Fund at The Chicago Community Trust. In 2021, Capoeira Chicago was selected as one of the Chicago Cultural Treasures, a four-year initiative to support our city’s BIPOC-led and -focused arts and culture organizations as they face unprecedented challenges to their decades of leadership and resiliency.
Book Us to Perform
Performers of Gingarte Capoeira, the performance ensemble, combine rhythmic movements with high kicks and acrobatic maneuvers to create an amazing display of culture and beauty. Our three main programming objectives are to provide affordable yet high quality arts education, to present stunning performances to the community and to host special events and conferences. Fill out the form below or email us at gingarte.capoeira@gmail.com