Capoeira nao sai do pensamento

Capoeira nao sai do coracao

Capoeira e fundamento

Capoeira e tradicao

My name is Roberto Armien. My capoeira name is Folklore. I am half Panamanian and have been dancing folkloric dances from Panama for many years all over the USA. Mestre Lazaro named me this because I expressed a great appreciation for the Brazilian culture and folk dances after he showed me a video and I saw the similarities between the folklore of Brazil and Panama.

I started taking martial arts at age 19. I first started with Traditional Shotokan Karate and Kickboxing. I studied for about 2 years in which time I advanced 3 belt levels and had 2 kickboxing fights. My Sensai (teacher) taught a very hard and traditional class. Nothing was given to you! Not even your first belt. You had to earn it!! Just like Capoeira. Unfortunately, this was not very popular with many students especially when other schools in the area would pretty much just let you buy your belt. Our school unfortunately had to close.

I didn't do any kind of training for about a year. Then I met a friend who had just started taking capoeira. He was showing me what he had learned in the past 2 months. When he did the ginga I thought it was ridiculous and silly!! I told him that it was useless and challenged him to spar (fight). To make a long story short I ended up with a black eye and a hurt pride. I figured that if he could beat me after only 2 months, than I needed to take capoeira.

I have been taking capoeira with Mestre Lazaro since February of 2000. Capoeira filled a hole in my heart and spirit that was missing since my Karate school closed. Capoeira is an amazing art. The ability to look graceful and flexible, and at the same time be an effective martial art! 

The amount of control needed to practice Capoeira has helped me so much, not just in class, but also out of class. Capoeira has shown me how to be agile and quick. I have even learned how to do mortals and other aerial moves. I am doing things now that I never thought I would ever be able to do.

Through capoeira I have met my closest friends; Salsicha, Scooby Doo, Tarzan, Rabibi, Paraiba, Breed, Ivana, and of course Mestre Lazaro. Next to my family these are the closest and most important people to me. I don’t know where I would be if it were not for these people.

I owe a lot to my Mestre and capoeira. I know that I will be involved in capoeira for the rest of my life, and hope to one day be able to pass on what I have learned and teach capoeira to my daughter and sons.

Muito Axe,

Folklore