FICA stands for the “Fundação Internacional de Capoeira Angola”

FICA Chicago, Embaixadores Da Cultura Brasileira 2012, with CM Beto

There are FICA groups in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Here in Montreal, we form a FICA study group.

FICA Montreal, Mestre Jurandir Workshop 2012

Our dedication leads us to …

  • Attend workshops in Brazil, USA and abroad
  • Host workshops in Montreal that showcase influential capoeira players
  • Share knowledge of movement, music and history of the art form
  • Learn Portuguese

For us, capoeira develops a sense of community and benefits mind, body and spirit.

 

About the collective

Mestre Jurandir guides the group in preserving such a beautiful tradition.

FICA-NYC, FICA DC, FICA-Chicago, FICA Oakland and FICA Northwest have also been supportive in building the Montreal community.

In Canada, FICA-Grupo de Estudo de Quebec and Grupo de Capoeira Semente do Jogo de Angola are points of reference for us.

Four people collectively lead FICA Study Group Montreal: Fabrice Koffy, Kseniya Smaryanakis, Celeste Nelson and Ron Scott. Together they share their knowledge with the Montreal community by offering classes and hosting workshops year round.

 

KSENIYA SMARYANAKIS

Kseniya started training capoeira with Contra-mestre Fabio in Ottawa. Upon moving to Montreal, she joined Agua de Beber (Concordia University), where she trained under Mike Gregory for several years. She then moved to Russia where she was an active member of FICA Moscou (under the guidance of Mestre Cobra Mansa) for a number of years, teaching and participating in workshops all over Europe. Kseniya has also spent over a year studying capoeira angola at FICA Bahia with Mestre Valmir.

 

RON SCOTT

Ron began capoeira with Grupo Agua De Beber under Michael Gregory. He was exposed to FICA (International Capoeira Angola Foundation) and it’s philosophy by way of Mestre Jurandir who regularly gave workshops in Montreal. Ron has participated in capoeira workshops throughout the USA and Brasil. Through the years he has traveled to Salvador Bahia frequently to train with Mestre Valmir at FICA Bahia and deepen his understanding of this multidisciplinary art form.

 

FABRICE KOFFY

Fabrice encountered capoeira in Montreal with the group Agua de Beber, under the training of Michael Gregory. First and foremost for its playful nature and then for its physical dimension, capoeira in its many ways knew how to seduce him and has brought Fabrice to experience and participate in various workshops in Washington DC, Boston and Brazil.

 

CELESTE NELSON

Celeste Nelson began capoeira with Grupo Agua de Beber under Michael Gregory. Her first exposure to the martial art outside of Montreal was in Washington DC during FICA’s 12th International Conference, Sankofa. Since then, Celeste has attended capoeira angola workshops in Brazil, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the U.S. Beyond the physical, she is interested in the Afro-Brazilian philosophy behind the tradition and how Western linear thought affects one’s understanding of the art form.