My name is Eurico Vianna. I am a PhD student at the Centre for Public Culture and Ideas at Griffith University (AU). My research topic is Capoeira and social inclusion, and I am currently writing the 4 Capoeira Thoughts Blog, a not-for-profit initiative, as part of my field research.

I have a solid background as a practitioner and for the last 10 years I have been working as a Capoeira teacher holding regular classes, workshops, lectures and promoting events in several countries. In 2002 I started a non-profit organisation in Brazil through which I have been running Capoeira programmes fostering the social inclusion of youth in ‘at risk’ situation living in shelters. More details about my professional background as a practitioner can be found here (add link).

My goal in setting the 4 Capoeira Thoughts Blog is to build an online network of social active capoeiras collaborating on issues of Capoeira philosophy, intercultural learning, social inclusion and education. I also aim to gather collaborators to co-edit and co-author the an online Journal open to submissions on the above mentioned matters.

The 4 Capoeira Thoughts is open to guest-authors approaching the social role of Capoeira. I hope to publish their posts; interview people with similar initiatives; and promote community based endeavours related to Capoeira.

There are two main advantages in partly basing my research on matters raised over the Internet. First, there will be no geographical barriers preventing multinational participation. Second, practitioners’ posts and comments will be directly influencing the research matters.
The overall aim is to discuss the worldwide spreading of Capoeira; the global forces acting upon it; how practitioners locally respond to these forces; and the art’s local purpose as a potential educative and inclusive cultural practice.

Please, check the blog out and feel free to drop me a few lines sharing your thoughts. I would also appreciate if you could spread the word out about my research. Here is the URL for my blog 4capoeirathoughts.com .

I am looking forward in setting a network of practitioners interested in learning and sharing more about Capoeira as a social inclusive and educative tool.

Axé!
Eurico

Who would understand the meaning of my Mickey Mouse tattoo on my rear? No one except for me lol

AXE!!!!

I’m with Mestre Gato’s group (Senzala) in Cambridge, UK. Your blog is brilliant…I haven’t laughed out loud when reading something for a long time until I read some of your stuff. Thanks for sharing!

Also, totally understand the tattoo explanation issue…when I got mine it was after going through some tuff s**t and coming out the other side. I think only I can understand the true meaningfulness of it…to others, I simply say ‘a phoenix, you know? like a dragon just with feathers???’

Muito axe!
S

Great to meet you this weekend. I have many pics posted on flickr. Email and website attached to this post. Facebook me every 5 minutes.

Peace out,
Coco

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40153278@N07/sets/72157622379211026/