After decade, Capoeira cafe still kicking

BERKELEY -- The good news: The Capoeira Arts Cafe will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Addison Street location.

The bad news: It won't be there long. The silver lining is Capoeira Arts, which put Brazilian combat art on the map in the Bay Area, is opening a new center in July on San Pablo Avenue.

Sadly, however, the Saturday shindig is sold out.

For those unfamiliar with capoeira, it is as elegant as ballroom dancing but powerful enough to do some damage.

Not that you would see practitioners -- called capoeiristas -- using it for real fighting.

They are way too spiritual for that.

The precise history of capoeira has been lost to time, but its roots are distinctly African. Capoeira was transplanted to Brazil, Martinique and Cuba by enslaved Africans shipped to former Portuguese colonies.

It has thrived in Brazil and other countries, including more recently the United States.

The common denominator is its "capacity to inspire people and to respond to the needs of those who fall in love with it," said Bira Almeida, who goes by the title Mestre Acordeon. He is the founder and director of Capoeira Arts.

The organization's East Bay roots began in 1985 on San Pablo Avenue, not far from where the new center will be located -- at San Pablo and Hearst. It's a bit of deja vu, Acordeon said.

Members transformed an empty auto body shop to create the cafe and school on Addison Street. But the center is set to move on July 31.

"The most magical, powerful, inspired and spontaneous moments have been held within our walls," said Acordeon.

Still, the cafe leases those walls and the lease has expired.

But those moments will be captured in a commemorative book to be available in July. Acordeon said the book is "like a tattoo that reminds one where one has been."

Acordeon wants to transform the new location into a center for Brazilian culture.

"We hope that it will be one step forward" in strengthening the community through capoeira, Acordeon said.

For more information about the Capoeira Arts visit http:// www.capoeiraarts.com.

Staff writer Angela Woodall can be reached at awoodall@angnewspapers.com.

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