Grupo Senzala
Founded in Rio de Janeiro, Group Senzala has been in existence
for nearly 40 years. The group is probably the most famous
Capoeira group in the world thanks to its many masters and
other technicians teaching Capoeira.
Group Senzala's history begins in 1963 in Rio de Janeiro.
Paulo, Rafael and Gilberto Flores, three brothers, originally
from Bahia (homeland of Capoeira) had moved to Rio de Janeiro.
They began to study Capoeira, during their school vacations,
back in Salvador, Bahia. They trained with two of the most
famous masters that ever lived, namely Master Bimba and Master
Pastinha. Capoeira had become an important part of their
lives that they began to train on a regular basis. Paulo got
in touch with other capoeira teachers in Rio de Janeiro and
started to lead weekly training sessions in the terrace of
their apartment building located at Laranjeiras neighbourhood,
in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
In 1963, the first of the now famous masters joined the three
brothers in practising Capoeira. That master was Fernando C.C.
Albuquerque, who was given the Capoeira name, Gato.
Gato became friends with Paulo Flores on his return from Bahia,
but did not know of Paulos knowledge of Capoeira. One night,
whilst at a party, a fight broke out. Paulo become involved.
His antagonist tried to front kick him, Paulo dodged the
attack and retaliated with a reverse spinning kick, striking
his opponent on the temple, knocking him out. After seeing
this display, Gato badgered Paulo to train him, Paulo insisted
that he was not a master, or even a teacher, "I am only a
student so how can I teach you?". After days of persistent
nagging Paulo agreed to show Gato a few of Capoeira's basic
techniques. Gato began to train with Paulo, his two brothers,
and some other teenagers at the Laranjeiras.
You learnt a few moves and then a few more and then try to
use what you had just learnt, in the roda. Mestre Gato recalls
the games he played as very physical and with lots of contact
so that you learnt to defend yourself quickly. Soon, another
joined the group by the name of Claudio Jose Queiroz, followed
by his friends Peixinho and Itamar. Two 8 years boys from
favela Santa Marta, used to see and train as well, called
Garrincha and Sorriso. After a while Gato brought his younger
brother Gil to take part of the sessions. The group was growing.
Among the people who joined were, Mosquito, Borracha, Sanfona,
Bigode, Jimmy, William and Antero.
Gato started to get in touch with other capoeira players in
Rio de Janeiro, like Mestre Artur Emidio the main capoeira
mestre of Rio de Janeiro at that time. He had some training
sessions with some capoeira de Sinhô students and with a
formado of Mestre Bimba´s academy called Grande.
In 1965 a folk show called Vem Camara performed at Teatro
Jovem, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro. The show was directed by
Bira Almeida, called Acordeon, a legend in the world of capoeira
and one of the best Mestre Bimba's students at his time.
Acordeon brought in his group some extraordinary capoeiras
players like Camisa Roxa, Sacy, Cabeludo, and a young formado
from Mestre Bimba´s called Preguica. Paulo and Rafael Flores
knew Acordeon from their training at Bimba´s academy and brought
their friends to see the show and all became attonished with
such good capoeira. Later Acordeon visited the terrace and
taught some movements to that young capoeira thirsty group.
When Acordeon left Rio de Janeiro he lost one of his comrades
who decided to stay in Rio, the young Preguica who joined that
young group.
In late 1966 the group was asked to leave the apartment building
due to the increase in noise generated by the group. They
manage to crack one of the walls where bencaos were practised,
plus the neighbours couldn't take anymore the noise and shakings
on Saturdays evenings...
Finding new premises for the group would cost money. The group
set about trying to raise funds by performing at shows. Finally,
they were able to rent premises for the group, which now
consisted of around 15 core members and about 20 people training
occasionally. The group moved into the Largo de Machado in
1966.
During 1966, whilst at a demonstration at a German Club, the
group introduced themselves as Grupo Senzala. The group became
known, and with new premises, new people joined.
In the late 60's there were very few competitions open to
Capoeiristas. In 1964 a tournemant called Berimbau de Prata
happened at Santa Teresa and few groups took part of it. The
Academia Santana, leaded by Mestre Valdo Santana, asked Paulo
Flores and Gato to represent the academy and they did. With
surprise as young capoeiristas they were they featured the
third place after Bonfim and Mestre Artur Emidio groups. In
1967 another capoeira group competition was organized
supported by an entity called Amigos do Folclore (Friends of
Folklore), the Berimbau de Ouro. Each group should perform a
group demonstration and present a pair of capoeiristas playing
during five minutes. The performances were judged by a comitee
of masters and folklore experts and the pair performance had
a bigger weight in the judgement. With the help of other
capoeiristas like Tabosa and Fritz, both from Brasilia and
friends of Claudio Danadinho, the group entered the competition.
On the first attempt at the tournament the team featuring Gato
and Preguica won, and did so again the following year, helping
establish Group Senzala. On the third attempt Gato and Preguica
were stopped from taking part by the event organization. They
were told that the competition were not open to the masters,
only students. Gato and Preguica protested that they were
students, not masters. The association then replied, saying
that their record over the past two years has had them
recognised as master grades.
As Gato and Preguica were unable to enter the Berimbau de Ouro
they began to train another team from the Group Senzala to
enter into the tournament. This new team featured Mosquito
and Barracha, which won; third year in succession. News of
this spread throughout Brazilian Capoeira. Many people
travelled to see, train and try out this new group of
capoeiristas.
Due to the groups growing reputation and memberships they had
to relocate again. A student of the group offered the use of
a large barn, situated on his property, to the group, which
they gratefully accepted and moved into Cosme Veiho. During
1968 and 1971 many masters and students travelled to Cosme
Veiho and Master Gato recalls it was a "place of great
energy".
That location became the meeting point for many years to come
where most of that generation of capoeiristas took part in the
famous rodas on Saturday evenings. It was there where Senzala
group was forged. It was there where new members of the group
got their red cords and became part of the group like Baiano
Anzol, another formado from Mestre Bimba´s, Lua, from Salvador
street capoeira, Nestor Capoeira and Bermuda, both got their
capoeira intialization with Mestre Leopoldina, many years
before they left the group follwing their own ways.
Capoeira at the early sixties was still quite underground,
badly seen by society. In their search the south zone kids had
to go to the suburbs where at the rodas they had to prove
their selves, earn the respect and after go for a beer.
Although tough the Capoeira environment always had a strong
sense of friendship.
Originally the group trained according to the teaching's of
Master Bimba but soon began to incorporate influences from
Rio de Janeiro but mainly from Bahia. By this time the group
was the premier Capoeira group in Rio de Janeiro and one of
the most widely known in the whole of Brazil.
In the following years the group grew in size and influenced
many other groups in various states. The 12 initial members
went in different directions, new mestres were graduated and
Capoeira started spreading to the USA and Europe in early
eighties.
Mestre Gato started teaching Capoeira in the Catholic University
of Rio de Janeiro and in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
Fundao campus, in 1968 and so other mestres of Senzala did, at
several schools, club and universities. The mestres of Senzala
started to orgaize national and international meetings always
trying to bring the old mestres presences to teach all participants.
During 1980 and the mid 1980's the group began to loose it's
cohesion due to the fading of new ideas and expansion.
When the situation was realised, the senior members began
remedying the position of the group. As the 1980's drew to a
close Group Senzala was again expanding and Capoeira began to
be taught world-wide. With Group Senzala being one of the
strongest organised group in Brazil and in touch with the
velha guarda (old guard) of capoeira it was in a good position
to help in the development of Capoeira outside Brazil. In
1987, mestres Garrincha, Peixinho, Toni Vargas and then student
Claudio Arruda, spent 6 months in Europe, taking part of
workshops, seminars and demonstrations, supporting some Senzala
students who had been there teaching capoeira for few years,
like Claudio Samara in Amsterdam and China in Paris. They
helped the organization of the first European Capoeira
Meetings in Amsterdam and in Hamburg.
There are nucleos of Grupo Senzala under the guidance of
mestres Peixinho, Garrincha, Sorriso, Elias, Itamar, Ramos,
Beto, Samara and Arruda, in USA, Portugal, France, Germany,
Italy, Holland, Denmark, Serbia, Finland.
Nowadays the red cords who represent the Grupo Senzala de
Capoeira are Rafael Flores, Paulo Flores, Claudio Danadinho,
Gato, Peixinho, Itamar, Gil Velho, Garrincha, Sorriso, Toni
Vargas, Elias, Ramos, Amendoim, Feijao, Beto, Claudio Arruda
and Claudio Samara.
Pedro "Gatunho" Albuquerque