Marcio Mendes
Marcio was born in Macapá-AP, and grew up in the city Belém, a city in the Amazon region of Brazil. His first contact with capoeira was, as for many Brazilians, on the street: in a spontaneous way, without structure or a master to guide him.
At age 17, Marcio met Mestre Bezerra, who is recognized for establishing capoeira in the northern states of Pará and Amapá ultimately, Bezerra would become Marcio’s master. After 5 years of study, Marcio began teaching capoeira classes at the University of Pará, and under Mestre Bezerra’s supervision, participated in many street festivals in Brazil.
In 1999, Marcio moved to Toronto, Canada and founded the Muiraquitã Capoeira school, followed by Escola de Capuera Angola. Marcio has taught classes in various countries, including England, Portugal and Trinidad, and has participated in the street festival in Avignon, France. He has also given numerous workshops, presentations, and live performances across Canada.
In 2006, he was awarded an Artists in Education grant by the Ontario Arts Council, which lead to a series of workshops in public schools throughout Ontario. Always giving back to the community, he has also taught capoeira to Toronto’s at-risk youth in alliance with St. Christopher House and Kites and Alexandra Community Centre. Several Universities University of Toronto, York University, West Indias University and Federal University of Pará. In addition to running Escola de Capuêra Angola, Marcio teaches capoeira classes at the West End YMCA.
