Contramestre Vaqueiro

Chris Maier, Contramestre Vaqueiro has practiced various martial arts from the age of 5, among them Judo, Muay Thai, Brazilian JiuJitsu and, of course, Capoeira.

With 25 years of experience in the art, there is still a lot to learn, and to Vaqueiro, learning happens any- and everywhere:

"No two days are the same and every practice, every dialogue, every game brings new challenges and new lessons.”

The aim of his work is to promote, develop and create awareness for the individual potential of children, young people and adults within the framework of a playful, holistic approach and their value and implications for a modern, humanistic society:

“Within the structures of Capoeira in all its diversity - physical, social, musical, cultural - we experience personal strengths and weaknesses, individuality and community, challenges, failure and overcoming obstacles, all in a playful context with an emphasis on dialogic communication,  empathy, autonomy, mindfulness and sensitivity.”

Methodologically, Vaqueiro‘s focus in his classes oscillate between modern, scientifically proven training methods and the rich knowledge of Brazilian popular culture in order to offer every student a training environment that enables personal growth with a lot of fun and also does justice to the individual’s potential for performance. To achieve these goals, Vaqueiro draws from a wide range of inspirations and teacher’s experiences, under whose tutelage he trained: first and foremost his Mestre Umoi, Mestre Martinho Fiuza (,his first Mestre), as well as many others, such as Mestre Nagô, Mestre Acordeon, Mestre Toni Vargas, Mestre Boca Rica,…