SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) October 06, 2016
ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco (ACSF), the Bay Area's first non-profit organization dedicated to recovering, preserving, and promoting Afro-Brazilian culture, will mark 25 years in the Mission neighborhood with its annual Batizado and Graduation Ceremony on October 9 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at ACSF, 3221 22nd Street in San Francisco.
In this traditional capoeira ceremony, new students are initiated into the world of capoeira by playing with a master level artist, and continuing students may receive a cord in recognition of their growth. The ceremony is complimented by performances from top-level guest artists from all over the country and ACSF’s company performers. In the days before the event, ACSF will host workshops led by special guest Mestre Morcego from Rio de Janeiro, a highly accomplished capoeirista and one of the top leaders of the international organization of ABADÁ-Capoeira.
This year’s event will also kick off the end of the year fundraising campaign. As a non-profit, ACSF has been serving the community since 1991, providing free arts education programs, performances, and year-round classes in martial arts, dance, and music. ACSF’s reduced or no cost programs provide onsite and in the schools to thousands of youth in the Mission District and beyond. In addition, ACSF offers a free capoeira program for youth aged 5-19 onsite. To date, the program has served more than 1,500 children and teens, the majority of who are low-income San Francisco residents.
“In this changing city, after 25 years, we are fortunate to still be thriving as one of the last non-profit arts centers in San Francisco’s Mission District,” said Marcia Treidler, a.k.a. Mestra Cigarra, Artistic Director of ACSF. “Cultural centers are the binding glue of the community of which we are all a part. ACSF provides an outlet for all walks of life to engage with others, celebrate our diversity and learn about Afro-Brazilian culture. Both adults and students learn a variety of lessons, not only cultural, like art and dance, but life skills, like confidence and respect. Our students then bring these lessons outside of the studio to help build a stronger community.”
The batizado and graduation ceremony is open to the public.
For more information about the batizado and workshop series, visit http://www.abada.org.
To donate to ACSF, please visit: http://www.abada.org/donate
About ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco
ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco (ACSF) is an award winning non-profit organization that works to preserve, develop, and share the martial art of capoeira with integrity, and to use capoeira to ignite positive change in individuals and in communities. The organization addresses social and economic disparities that exist in our communities by offering high quality, accessible instructional and performance programs for youth and adults, led by world-class artists. It integrates diverse communities and inspires civic responsibility, and personal and athletic success through physical, artistic, cultural, health education.
ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco shares name and philosophy with the international ABADÁ-Capoeira organization, which was founded in 1988 by Mestre Camisa (José Tadeu Carneiro Cardoso) and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ABADÁ is an acronym—ABADÁ-Capoeira, translated into English, stands for “Brazilian Association for the Support and Development of the Art of Capoeira.” ABADÁ-Capoeira has grown to have upwards of 50,000 members in more than 56 countries. The organization is founded on the belief that capoeira has the power to promote positive social change.
For more information about ACSF, visit http://www.abada.org/.