ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco

ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco Founded in 1991 by Mestra Márcia Cigarra, ACSF offers professional instruction and performance of capoeira at its Mission-based Brazilian Arts Center.
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ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco’s (ACSF) mission is to preserve, develop, and share the art of Capoeira with integrity and to use Capoeira to build a healthy, just, and vibrant society in which people feel connected to and responsible for their community. By exploring creative ways to share Capoeira and related arts, ACSF remains a pioneering force in the preservation and development of Brazilian art

s. For 30 years, ACSF has provided arts education, cultural festivals and performances, and daily classes in Capoeira martial arts, dance, and music. The organization strives to improve and promote Capoeira, allowing it to reach its full potential as an internationally respected art form while maintaining its dignity, character, history, and traditions. ACSF serves more than 12,000 people each year, bringing diverse populations together to learn skills, find inspiration, explore creative expressions, experience art rooted in tradition, and practice civic virtue. ACSF has solidified its place as a leader in cultural programming locally and worldwide. Programs support cultural and artistic growth, inspire civic engagement, and are designed to support the development of next-generation artists. ACSF helps meet our community’s need for a safe, accessible space where people of all ages and abilities can participate in meaningful activities that engage body, heart, and mind. To remove barriers to participation, ACSF offers year-round, inclusive programs; equitable fees, and operates in underserved communities. ACSF teaches respect for diversity, addresses socioeconomic inequities that reduce access to high-quality arts and physical programs, and provides opportunities for community members to exercise both choice and responsibility. In this way, ACSF has a profound impact on the health, culture, and social standing of the Bay Area and the lives of youth and adults served.

06/19/2026

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/abadahalftime

We're taking capoeira to Chase Center.

For over 30 years, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco has shared capoeira in schools, parks, community centers, theaters, and on the streets of the Bay Area.
On July 5, we'll perform the halftime show during the Warriors vs. Spurs game in what will likely be the largest live audience in our school's history—and possibly one of the largest audiences for capoeira ever assembled in California.
This is a huge moment for our community and an incredible opportunity to introduce thousands of people to the beauty, athleticism, music, and cultural richness of capoeira.

But we need your help.

To fulfill our agreement with the Warriors, we need to sell 250 tickets through our community. And $10 from every ticket sold through our link goes directly back to ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco, supporting our classes, youth programs, and community outreach.

Join us. Bring your family. Invite your friends.

Let's fill Chase Center with axé and show the NBA what capoeira is all about.

🎟️ Tickets available at https://tinyurl.com/abadahalftime

06/16/2026

We're taking capoeira to Chase Center. Get tix: https://tinyurl.com/y84j8482

For over 30 years, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco has shared capoeira in schools, parks, community centers, theaters, and on the streets of the Bay Area.

On July 5, we'll perform the halftime show during the Warriors vs. Spurs game in what will likely be the largest live audience in our school's history—and possibly one of the largest audiences for capoeira ever assembled in California.

This is a huge moment for our community and an incredible opportunity to introduce thousands of people to the beauty, athleticism, music, and cultural richness of capoeira.

But we need your help.

To fulfill our agreement with the Warriors, we need to sell 250 tickets through our community. And $10 from every ticket sold through our link goes directly back to ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco, supporting our classes, youth programs, and community outreach.

Join us. Bring your family. Invite your friends.

Let's fill Chase Center with axé and show the NBA what capoeira is all about.
🎟️ Tickets available at https://tinyurl.com/y84j8482

We're honored to share that Márcia, a short documentary by Claudia A. Escobar about the life and legacy of ABADÁ-Capoeir...
06/15/2026

We're honored to share that Márcia, a short documentary by Claudia A. Escobar about the life and legacy of ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco founder Mestra Márcia Treidler, will screen at Brava Theater as part of Short Film Block: Q***r Resilience on Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 PM. Get tix: https://www.brava.org/all-events/shortblocksq***rresilience-47w5-8c573-3jrd9-jexny

Through never-before-seen archival images and the voices of her lovers and friends, Márcia traces an extraordinary journey—from a childhood spent on the streets of Brazil in the 1960s to becoming one of the first and most accomplished women in capoeira, helping pave the way for generations of women and q***r practitioners in this art form.

For those who know Mestra Márcia as a teacher, mentor, artist, and community leader, this film offers a chance to see the experiences that shaped her path. For those meeting her story for the first time, it is a powerful reminder of the resilience, creativity, and courage that can change not only one life, but an entire community.

We hope you'll join us in celebrating this beautiful work and the remarkable life behind it.

🎬 Márcia
📍 Brava Theater, San Francisco
🗓 Saturday, June 20, 2026
🕢 7:30 PM
Part of Short Film Block: Q***r Resilience

This short film was funded in part by the San Francisco Arts Commission

06/12/2026

Opening game at June 7th’s Kids’ Batizado and Graduation Ceremony here in San Francisco: Guest of Honor Mestrando Diguinho plays Special Guest Professor Ferrugem.

We are so grateful that these teachers came all the way from Brazil to be with us and honor the work of our youth instructors, Professor Soldadinho and Instrutora Toninha.

Thank you, Mestra Márcia Cigarra, for creating this event for our community.

More footage of our 2026 youth batizado to come!

06/10/2026

This weekend! Let’s goooo!

06/01/2026

Many of us spend our days looking at screens.

Working on a computer. Scrolling on a phone. Moving from one notification to the next.
Capoeira asks something different of you.

To pay attention.
To be present.
To listen.
To move.

For 90 minutes, your focus shifts to what's happening right in front of you: the music, the game, the people around you.

And somewhere along the way, you find yourself talking to people you never would have met otherwise.
Artists. Engineers. Students. Teachers. Parents. Immigrants. Lifelong San Franciscans. People from all over the world sharing the same space and learning from one another.

Capoeira is movement, but it's also community.

A chance to get out of your head, into your body, and into a room full of real people.

Come try our free beginners’ class on the first Tuesday of any month at 6:00pm, at 3221 22nd St., San Francisco, CA.

Teens ages 13–19 train free with us, and anyone 13+ can join our free community class on the first Tuesday of every month.

No experience needed. Just show up.

New students who attend this class can purchase a first-time special of 4 classes for $48, valid for one month beginning on the first day of use. Purchase must be in-person.

Warming up with the class is critical, so new students will not be allowed to join the class after it has begun. See you there!

Info: https://www.abada.org/adult-capoeira-classes/

05/26/2026

Thanks to everyone who made Carnaval San Francisco parade magic this past weekend! We’re grateful to everyone—parents, students, friends, family, and supporters—who made up our 2026 contingent. We’re especially grateful to the Carnaval SF organizers, volunteers, coordinators, vendors, security, and cleanup crews who help make Carnaval happen for our neighborhood.

Every year, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco invites our community to participate in this fun, family-friendly, community-building event. Folks serve many roles, ranging from performers and contingent monitors to banner bearers and water attendants. As individuals, we come together and make it happen.

Now in its 48th year of celebration, Carnaval San Francisco has been an opportunity for many cultures to come together in one spirit to share their creative expression. The two-day celebration showcases the very best Latin American and Caribbean cultural arts and traditions.

This year’s Grand Parade featured over 60 contingents showcasing over 3,000 artists, representing the rich cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, and more. 2026’s theme was “La Copa del Pueblo,” The People’s Cup, a vibrant celebration of fútbol’s true heartbeat: the people who play it, love it, and live it. This theme honors the joy found in dusty fields, neighborhood parks, and busy city streets, where the game belongs to everyone and every goal feels like a shared victory. Like capoeira, fútbol is about connection, creativity, and the unshakable energy of community.
Photos & video: + Yoan

Happy Birthday, Mestre Morcego! We’re sending hugs from San Francisco and hope you have a wonderful birthday. Feliz Aniv...
05/22/2026

Happy Birthday, Mestre Morcego! We’re sending hugs from San Francisco and hope you have a wonderful birthday. Feliz Aniversário!

Mestre Morcego (Rogério Francisco da Silva) was born in Rio de Janeiro and began training capoeira in 1981 with Mestre Camisa in Aterro do Flamengo, RJ, Brazil. In 1989, he received his brown cord. In 1991, along with Mestres Cobra and Canguru, he was one of the first of Mestre Camisa’s students to earn their brown/red cords, the last graduation before becoming a mestrando/a. In 1995, Morcego received his red cord and was recognized as Mestrando Morcego. In 2011, he was titled Mestre by Mestre Camisa and ABADÁ-Capoeira. During the period from 1984 to 2011, he balanced his time between being an active member of the Marine Corps of Brazil and as a capoeirista. Today, Mestre Morcego is solely dedicated to capoeira. He supervises and guides the members of the ABADÁ School. Mestre Morcego travels internationally in order to teach up-to-date technical courses.

📸 Mestre Morcego with Mestra Márcia Cigarra at the 2005 ZUMBIMBA event at the Centro Educacional Mestre Bimba (CEMB) in Brazil.

05/19/2026

Join our Carnaval San Francisco contingent and bring capoeira to the streets of the Mission District. The parade kicks off on Sunday, May 24th.

Any and all ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco students can participate in this fun, family-friendly cultural event. Besides performers, we’ll need folks to play instruments, hold up our banner, and carry water for capoeiristas. We’ll also need people to act as contingent monitors—these people will communicate with Carnaval event facilitators throughout the parade.

We’re leading informal rehearsals this week. To sign-up to participate, please let your instructor know in class.

Final Rehearsal
Saturday, May 23, 2026
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM

Carnaval San Francisco has been an opportunity for many cultures to come together in one spirit to share their creative expression. The two-day celebration showcases the very best Latin American and Caribbean cultural arts and traditions. Carnaval San Francisco is the largest multi–cultural celebration on the West Coast.

Stay tuned for our line up time. Our contingent will be #8.

Address

3221 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA
94110

Opening Hours

11am - 1pm

Telephone

+14152060650

Website

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