Capoeira Brasil East Bay

"Capoeira Brasil East Bay is a fixture of the Bay Area capoeira community, and for good reason. The warmth and care for capoeira that Instructor Foquinha and her colleagues show for this special art draws people from all over. Beginners and advanced practitioners alike find a welcoming environment. I have missed it during COVID and look forward to the time we can all play together again!"

"Capoeira Brasil East Bay is so much more than just a place to workout or learn a new skill. It’s hard to describe but it’s at the same time a family, a supportive environment, non-judgements, very inclusive, hella fun, and will work on several aspects simultaneously such as: balance, strength, posture, focus, music playing, singing, Portuguese language and friendship! Also it’s a really unique thing to be women-led! Professora Foquinha and Instrutoras Borracha and Bailarina are wonderful while kind and patient they are also excellent teachers which will push you if you’re willing to go further! The picture below is from our 2019 batizado so you can see all the beautiful people from our group!"

"Capoeira Brasil East Bay (CBEB) is more than a place to learn the art, culture, music, dance and fighting form of capoeira. CBEB is a community and a chosen family. Our instructors Tammy (Foquinha), Khorshid (Borracha) and Lorin (Baila) are experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable Capoeiristas who care for and push their students to go to the next level. Thank you CBEB for being a place I can call home."

"I was very new to capoeira, and I've been going to Capoeira Brasil for the past 6 months or so. And I love it! It's usually my favorite part of any Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday! Let me count the ways: * It's an amazing full body workout. It's been super helpful strengthening for some knee pain I was having. I can do breaststroke kick again! In fact, it's helped with some wrist pain too. Doing these kinds of movements really gets at all those tiny little "supporting cast" muscles that you don't get to in the weight room. * Gender balance. I feel super comfortable as a woman doing capoeira, which can be sort of hard with martial arts. It's a martial art that isn't all men! * It's mentally challenging. I need to be mentally engaged in my workouts in order to keep it up. I feel like I will be mentally challenged by this sport for many years to come. * It's great for focus. Not only do you need to focus because of the tricky moves and coordination. But also, you need to avoid getting kicked in the head! There's nothing like someone trying to kick you in the head for helping you concentrate. I find it (weirdly?) meditative. * Instructor Foquinha is kind, patient, and supportive. I'm prone to feeling embarrassed when I'm bad at something, but that's never an issue in Tammy's class! * The other students are supportive and experienced. This has been a great place to learn capoeira because many of the other students are REALLY GOOD! As a beginner, I get to learn from everyone. And they've all adopted Instructor Foquinha's patience and kindness. I never feel like I'm wasting someone's time when I'm learning."

"Instrutora Foquinha (Tammy) and instrutora Borracha (Khorshid) are amazing capoeira instructors! I've been attending their classes regularly now for over 5 years, and I can't recommend them enough. They are both attentive, patient, and really care about their students. Although most martial arts can be hard on the body, I've been free from injury all this time. This I credit to their knowledge of body mechanics and injury prevention. They seriously are life-time learners who are ultra passionate about capoeira and its community! I initially came to capoeira mainly to get in shape, but what I got was way more: I made amazing friends, learned how to play a bunch of amazing musical instruments, and of course, learned an effective form of self defense."