The 2nd International Belt Grading by Capoeira Nagô Malta will be held between today and Sunday at Bay Street, under the coordination of Professor Alf, and will comprise a series of events including a batizado and troca de cordas, as well as a number of performances and demonstrations.

Around 30 members from Capoeira Nagô Malta will participate in the events, as well as just about 100 students and masters from various others countries, including England, Germany, Italy, Spain and, of course, Brazil. The highlight of the series of events will be the batizado and the troca de cordas ceremonies which will be held at Bay Street tomorrow at 5pm. These ceremonies will include a spectacular performance by world-class capoeira masters, including Mestre Pequinês, the founder of Grupo Capoeira Nagô. Capoeira Nagô Malta, a capoeira school founded in Malta by João Paulo Ramalho (known as ‘Profesor Alf’) is the first capoeira school on the island.

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art form that combines music, acrobatics, and social interaction with its fight component. Fascinating to watch and amazingly performed, Capoeira is an art, a fight, a game and a dance, indeed a culture in itself. It was originally developed by Africans enslaved in Brazil in the late 18th century.