**********CHECK OUT THE INFO FOR THIS YEAR’S BATIZADO**********
UConn Capoeira Club along with the Connecticut based Capoeira Balance school, taught by Professor Fabiano Lucas, has started a tradition in holding its Batizado, or baptism, every year at the University of Connecticut. Hundreds of capoeiristas, some from around the world, come and participated in an important tradition of capoeira.
In capoeira, a batizado is when a person is baptized into capoeira. It is only then they are considered to be a true capoeirista and are allowed to wear the cordao, a belt signifying a capoeiristas current rank in the world of capoeira. Batizados often consist of workshops taught by visiting mestres, and culminate in a day long event of playing in open rodas, and the batizado itself.
A workshop during the batizado
Capoeiristas come in all size and ages
Two UConn capoeiristas playing during the batizado
During the batizado, a capoeirista plays against mestres, capoeira masters, invited to the batizado by the particular leader of a capoeira school. After playing with the mestre, they earn their cordao, and an apellido, or nickname, if they didn’t already receive one. Troca de Cordaos, or changing of the belt is often held along with the Batizado. During the belt changing ceremony a capoeirista has the opportunity to move up in their cordao rank.
It is at such events that capoeiristas have the ability to play against new opponents, see mestres play and experience new styles of capoeira.
UConn Capoeira 
Leave a comment