My name is Brian Schmidt. In capoeira my nickname is Heavymetal. I think mestre Lazaro gave me this nickname because when I started I had long black hair with colored highlights. To him I looked like I should be in a heavymetal band. I first found out about capoeira from two of my friends. They were both talking about it and it sounded interesting. Shortly after, I saw the movie "The Quest", which had capoeira in it. It looked awesome and after I saw it I started looking for a school. After searching online for a few weeks I found Capoeira Brazilian Pelourinho Da Topazio. During my first class, I was surprised to see all of these students doing acrobatic movements. I thought I would never be able to learn them but, over time I did. What also surprised me was how friendly everyone was. They all acted like we've been friends for years and now I feel very close to them. I've been studying capoeira for about three years now. Becuase of it I've done many shows at City Walk Universal, Disney, all over Florida and a few other cities in America. I even taught a small capoeira class. Capoeira has exposed me to many diverse people, from all walks of life, I would have never met otherwise. I thank my mestre and all my friends at Capoeira Brazilian Pelourinho Da Topazio for what they have done for me these past three years.