Guide to Capoeira & Dance classes in the Pelourinho

Guide to Capoeira & Dance classes in the Pelourinho also appears on Hostel Cobreu's Blog

Salvador is the center of Capoeira Universe, and there are many legendary mestres to learn from in the city. If you'd just like to take one class to see what its all about, I would recommend #1 for Regional and #2A for Angola.

This list is far from complete, and while some schools are intentionally left out, I definitely encourage any additional info/experiences to be added as a comment below.

1) Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba
 Rua das Laranjeiras 01 Pelourinho
(71) 3322-0639
http://www.capoeiramestrebimba.com.br/
acm_bmba@uol.com.br

You can take your first capoeira or samba class at the first capoeira academy in the world.  The academy was opened by Mestre Bimba, the founder of Capoeira Regional.  Today it is run by the President of the Association, Mestre Bamba.  The group has a reputation for playing fast and merciless so get ready to learn Capoeira Regional Pura. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlbVwsMNHFw
Classes Mon-Fri from 10am-12 and 15-18. Saturday from 10-12. 

You can pay for one hour or buy more classes for a reduced price.  You can also pay for a month of unlimited classes, and although it is one of the more expensive schools, the proceeds support any child under the povety line in Salvador to learn capoeira.

Samba is usually Mon, Wed, Thu, and Fri at 15h but it is a good idea to mark an hour in advance.
The floor has the effect of a cheese grater so if you have soft shoes, bring them. They also sell cd´s, dvd´s, pants, shirts and other cool stuff.  Some English is spoken.

If you want to see the best Capoeira show in Bahia, watch the group's roda, Tuesday and Friday nights at 20h.  R$15

2) O Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo
http://fortesantoantonio.blogspot.com/
Here sits a former prison which is now where some of the most respected mestres of Capoeira Angola have their classes. One of the most scenic points in the historic center, the fort sits at the very end  of the direito do Santo Antonio overlooking the bay. Open daily from 9am-21h.  Rodas, films, and cultural events are held at the fort which can be tracked by the above blog. Within the Fort you can find many different schools, I can only recommend the ones that I or someone I know have been to.

A) Mestre Boca Rica (a legendary Mestre, unanimously respected for his music and poetic songs)
Classes Monday through Saturday 9-11am, 14h-16h, 16h-18h, and 19h-21h. Usually taught by his son Paulinho.


B) Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola – CECA *AJJP
Mestre João Pequeno de Pastinha
Classes Mon, Wed, & Fri from 9am-12 and in the afternoon from 16h-21h.
Rodas Tue, Thu, and Sat 1930-2130



C) Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho – GCAP
Mestre Moraes
Classes Tuesday  Thursday, 19h-21h and Saturday 16h-18h
Roda is held on Saturday 16h-18h

3) FICA- A Fundação Internacional de Capoeira Angola-BA
 http://ficabahia.com.br/
Rua Carlos Gomez 111 Edifiçio Esther Mouro Franco 5 floor
3321-7365
Classes Mon, Wed, Fri from12-14h & 19-21h
Instruments class Tue & Thu 19-20h
Roda Sat 930-13h

4) Mestre Olavio´s Street Roda
Sundays around 19h
Take any bus to Santa Monica and get off at the second to last stop.
My favorite capoeira memory is with my friend Gata Brava who is an amazing capoeirista (Professora) in the states.  She took me to my first street roda which was exactly as it sounds. The entire neighborhood came out for the roda, and all levels, ages, and theories from Angola to Topazio played together. Not touristy but capoeiristas from all over are welcome, respected, and encouraged. 


"LET'S DANCE"-David Bowie

There are good dance schools and classes in the Pelo, you just have to keep up with the constantly changing class schedules.

For Afro, Samba, and Orixa's dance classes, we like FUNCEB, http://www.fundacaocultural.ba.gov.br/
rua da Oração - Pelourinho
An actual University of Dance specializing in contemporary dance and and Afro-Brasileira. Classes and workshops are on the cheaper side and free classes are offered several times a week.  They have a great breakdance/hip-hop class which is also free. It's best to pass by and glance at the bulletin board for updated schedules.

Hostel Cobreu | Pelourinho Salvador | Bahia Brazil

The Pelourinho Survival Guide

Pelourinho Survival Guide also appears on Hostel Cobreu Blog
The following sentences were designed for 2 reasons.

First, because one of the first questions we get at the hostel is "is Pelourinho dangerous?"

Truthfully, if you pay attention and make yourself aware of the area, you won't have any problems. As a foreigner, you do not have free reign of every street and alley, and knowing what areas and people to avoid is key.  The second reason is that I feel very strongly that we need to be concientious travelers. Pelourinho has been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, and this evolution has been for the benefit of tourists, not the locals.  The future of the Pelourinho relies on a mutual respect between the people who live here and the visitors.  Everyone will ask where you are from, and you can see that preconceptions have already been formed. It's up to you how you feed those. At the risk of sounding preachy, I'm now going to list my top Pelourinho commandments.

1) Don't take valuables  (passport, watch, rolls of cash, Blackberry etc...) with you when wandering. If you don't have anything valuable on you, you have little to lose. Purses on women call attention, around here we just tuck the cash in our bra's. In case you haven't figured it out by the time you get to Salvador, name brand swag isn't worth shit here; it simply attracts unwanted attention.

2) Get oriented when you arrive, talk to us at the hostel and we will show you on the map what areas are best to stay in.  There aren't many parts of the Pelo that you can't go to, but as a general rule, avoid streets where you don't see other tourists. The area behind the main square, Terreiro de Jesus, is the area most unchanged in the last 30 years. Getting mugged is pretty much a guarantee if you decide to wander those streets day or night. Don't ever go there. Also the commercial street of Baixa Sapateiros should be avoided after the stores close at 6, the same rule is also true for all of Cidade Baixa. These areas are commercial, not residential, so anyone left wandering the streets at night most likely live on the streets.

3) Don't give money or food or anything else to beggers. I know I'm going to open a proverbial can of worms with any bleeding-heart readers, but let me explain. The very real problem of crack affects 90% of the beggers you will see. You may meet a woman asking you to buy her milk for her baby, a kid will ask you to buy him a sandwich, but the very sad truth is that anything, from the milk, the tin it comes in, to your dinner leftovers can be traded for crack.  So please, I can't urge you enough, don't get involved. Tourists support the drug problem here more than they will ever know.  I always see tourists being taken to lunchonettes and loading to-go plates full of food for a very hungry looking boy outside.  The truth is that he will go sell it, maybe for as little as R$2 for a plate that cost R$20 but it's enough for plenty of crack.   If someone asks you for something, the best thing to say is nothing, just keep walking and don't engage.  If you want to help, we have better ways to help the local community that we can tell you about at the hostel. (also see our Guide to Volunteering)

4) To piggyback on #3, I once read that 70% of Brazil's workforce is street-vendors.  It's got to be one of the most tiresome and rewardless jobs on the planet, so please don't confuse the beggers with the vendors. The vendors are just doing their job so if someone offers you a cold bottle of water, if you're not interested just say "obrigado" and give the thumbs up. They don't want anything other than to make a sale.

5) Don't be so drunk that it shows, or at least pull it together when you're out in public. Drunks make the easiest targets. If you do decide to get drunk however, we like to do it at Cafe Alquimia for caipirinha's, or the house drink "Alquimista" made with cachaça, honey, and lime, afterwards you just have to make it up the stairs to your bed.  We will still respect you in the morning.

6) Be careful of romantic advances. You can get stuck with an unwanted tab or worse. I'll leave it there.

7) Stay out of Reggae Bars! Unfortunately the peaceful message of reggae has a different connotation in the Pelourinho and Reggae bars have become synonymous with muggings.
There are much better places to go for the reggae/dub scene, like Zauber on Thursdays. Until 11 pm, ladies get in free and beer is 2 for the price of 1.

8) Don't use a 24 Hour ATM. This is true everywhere in Brazil.  There are clever thieves that can get your card number and empty your account overnight. Make sure to use an ATM inside a bank.  Take money out during the day. We can change money in the hostel for you.

9) Go out with friends. If you don't have any, make some.  There are always people around the hostel who like to go out and enjoy all the great parties Salvador has.

10) Don't let any of this scare you. This is basic stuff that you can use anywhere in the world, and surely by the time you've made it to Salvador you've probably figured all this out anyway.  Pelourinho is not a scary place, in fact the contrary is true. Just take care and keep your wits about you.  Having a sort of streetwise trickery is considered an admirable trate here,  no one could survive living on these streets without it, so outsmart anyone who thinks they can pull one on you, and like a good game of capoeira, dodge the blow and glide out of there.

Hostel Cobreu | Pelourinho Salvador | Bahia Brazil