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.

08/11/2026

Happy Birthday, Professora Iguana! Everyone in San Francisco is wishing you the most wonderful day.

Professora Iguana is a world capoeira champion, one of the most sought-after teachers from Brazil, and one of our very first long-term artists-in-residence.

A student of Mestre Camisa, the founder of the ABADÁ-Capoeira worldwide organization, she began her training in the 1990s and has since become one of Brazil’s most prominent capoeiristas. She regularly competes, trains, and performs both in Brazil and internationally. In addition to capoeira, she also teaches our Mission: Workout community Sunday exercise classes. (Come join her on a Sunday at 11:30am.)

Here, she performs a capoeira solo in San Francisco at the Mission Community Market in San Francisco's Mission District.

Feliz Aniversário, Professora!

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and haven't seen Claudia A. Escobar's short film, Márcia, about ABADÁ-Capoeira S...
07/31/2026

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and haven't seen Claudia A. Escobar's short film, Márcia, about ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco's legendary co-founder Márcia Treidler, join us on August 12th in Oakland, CA for this latest screening produced by Bay Area film collective Cinemama. Get tix: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reel-q***r-flix-2026-tickets-1988423817164

The short film tells Treidler's story through never-before-seen archival images and the voices of her lovers and friends, from a childhood saved on the streets of Brazil in the 60s until she became one of the first and most talented capoeira practitioners in the world, paving the way for women and q***r people in capoeira

We are so proud of capoeirista Joaninha / Claudia for creating this film, and can't wait to see everyone at the Historic Grand Lake Theater for this local screening.

07/20/2026

So grateful to Sunday Streets San Francisco for holding this annual event. Thanks to everyone who cane out!

07/16/2026

Come play capoeira with us this Sunday, 7/19 on Valencia St! We’ll be out for Sunday Streets San Francisco at 21st St. intersection from 1-2pm.

Every year, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco participates in Sunday Streets, an annual season of events that reclaim car-congested roads for community health, transforming them into car-free spaces for all to enjoy. Event routes are 1-4 miles in length, with fun, free activities provided by local nonprofits, community groups and small businesses. On July 19th, Sunday Streets events are scheduled throughout the Mission District.

Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City presented in partnership with the SFMTA - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the City and County of San Francisco

06/26/2026

Join us for free capoeira demonstrations on 22nd Street, just off Mission Street, in San Francisco!

Last month we brought music, movement, and Afro-Brazilian culture to the Mission Community Market organized by Foodwise, and we're gonna keep bringing it all till November.

🗓️ Upcoming performances (5:30–5:50 PM):

• July 2
• August 6
• September 3
• October 1
• November 5

Bring your friends. Bring your family. Stay for the roda after you pick up your produce—maybe you’ll even jump in.

We’ll see you in the Mission. 🌞

06/23/2026

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/abadahalftime

We're taking capoeira to Chase Center. Sales end Friday, 6/26!

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 we have sold only 129. 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

06/19/2026

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!

Address

3221 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA
94110

Opening Hours

11am - 1pm

Telephone

+14152060650

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