Road to Capoeira: As a child growing up in Angola, I saw Capoeira a few times. Along with the movements, I also saw and heard the Berimbau, mostly known as hungu, a traditional Angolan instrument.
In 1982, my family moved to Portugal, and in 1989 we moved to Manhattan in NYC. Soon, I had the chance to see in Central Park a couple of students of Mestre João Grande playing Capoeira Angola. I took their offer to visit their academy, and after watching a couple of classes there, I decided to give it a try. I started Capoeira Angola officially at Mestre João Grande's Academy in 1994.