CIGARRA & Guerreiras Nessa Arte

Witness capoeira’s spellbinding ritual unfold as the Mission District's Mestra Cigarra shares her pathbreaking ascent through the art’s male-dominated ranks, and the stories of those who’ve inherited her legacy, through dance, film, and martial arts. See guest artists from Brazil, and the ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco Performance Company embody her lineage through capoeira and the traditional music and dances of maculelê, jongo, and samba de roda.

In collaboration with award-winning local filmmaker Claudia Escobar, Mestra Cigarra weaves in audio and film into the show’s choreography. Escobar traveled with Mestra Cigarra to Brazil in 2023 to interview culture-bearers on video and create the footage that inform and feature in the performance. 

In 2021, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco and Mestra Márcia Cigarra were awarded one of their most prestigious grants: The Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions for Folk & Traditional Artists from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That year, the foundation named only 50 commissions designed to support the creation and premiere of exceptional new works by world-class artists in partnership with Bay Area nonprofit organizations. CIGARRA is that new work.

Show times:

Friday, May 3, 2024 from: 6-7:30pm

Saturday, May 4, 2024 from: 6-7:30pm

Sunday, May 5, 2024 from: 2-3:30pm

Organized by: ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco