Dana ‘ Minha Velha’ Maman

Dana 'Minha Velha' Maman was born in Tel Aviv Israel, to Jewish immigrant parents of Moroccan and Persian descent. She started her involvement with percussion and Afro-Brazilian culture at 15 in Israel. In 2001 Maman moved to Los Angeles and became part of Capoeira Batuque, the first and longest standing Capoeira Academy in Southern CA. There she continued her studies of capoeira and percussion under Master Teacher, Mestre Amen Santo. Maman has since traveled in the US and internationally performing and teaching capoeira and Afro-Brazilian music. Today she stands with close to 30 years of experience in the art as the first female Mestre (‘Master Teacher’) in Capoeira Batuque. She runs one of the few women led and taught Capoeira Academies in the US. Her mission is creating a healthy diverse community around Afro- Brazilian culture with respect to nature and the planet, where men, children, and especially women can grow as leaders and excel.

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Mestre Amen Santo

A native of Salvador Bahia, Mestre Amen Santo is a recognized Mestre de Capoeira, master drummer, and is the Artistic Director of the Brasil Brasil Cultural Center. He began his artistic career under the guidance of Mestre Waldemar and Mestre Avila in Liberdade, Bahia, Brazil. He was mentored as a performer by Negão de Doni (percussion) and Emilia Biancardi (dance) and toured internationally as a member of Brazil’s historic premiere folk ensemble Viva Bahia.

In 1989, he founded the Brasil Brasil Cultural Center that serves as the home base for a professional touring ensemble (the Ballet Folclòrico do Brasil) and the internationally renown  and longest standing capoeira school in Southern California, Capoeira Batuque. Santo helped bring capoeira to a worldwide audience through his performance and choreography in feature films including “Only the Strong” and “Kickboxer IV.” Santo has used dance and music as a platform for promoting intercultural interchange, Latin American diversity, and the African diaspora. He has also been honored in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and as a pioneer by the World Sokeship Council.

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WHAT IS CAPOEIRA BATUQUE?

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. It was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil at the beginning of the 16th century.

Capoeira Batuque is a group that is committed to the study and research of all aspects of capoeira without judging or excluding any particular style. We believe that it is extremely important to have a broader understanding of this art form as a whole. In training and respecting different styles of Capoeira, we aim to increase our vocabulary to be able to participate in any roda. Some capoeira practitioners believe that people should stick with one style, however, this seems to come from more of a political view point, more so than one of capability. So when people ask us what our style is, we can simple reply, Capoeira. We strongly believe Capoeira can and should be used as a tool to empower others, without so much emphasis on style.

Capoeira Batuque is not a style. This name was chosen for our organization because Mestre Amen wanted to pay homage to his African roots. This is extremely important to him because he feels as though African culture, in many cases, get’s forgotten or misrepresented in Brasil. Capoeira Batuque is dedicated to bringing people together from different ethnicities, races, religious background, and gender. We believe through Capoeira we can teach people to be compassionate towards others and learn from different cultures and experiences.

What does the word Batuque means?

Batuque has multiple meanings, but two key definitions are rhythm, and fighting style. Batuque was an African fighting style that Mestre Bimba used to create Capoeira Regional. Mestre Bimba learned this art from his father as a child, who was a champion of Batuque. Also, Batuque is an ensemble of drums and represents the action of playing.