It has been a real pleasure to be once more in Kop, seeing old friends and getting to know new ones.

When I first came here to Danmark, in the summer of 1972 and was teaching and living in Kristiannia for a couple of months, I could not imagine that I was engaging myself to a new city and people.

Curiously, after 1972, I only managed to come back to Danmark 22 years later, in 1994, notwithstanding that during those 22 years I had lived 8 years in Europe, in different periods, and had been constantly tavelling and teaching through different countries.
In 1994 was when I met Batata in Odense, and Steen and Jakob in Kop, and started a friendship that each time, with the things we do together and with the unprogramed meetings that chance endeavours us, is growing more and more, and becoming more deeply rooted.

This time Dino was also in the agenda, wich enrichened even more the "getting together" atmosphere Cozinheiro was so lucidly comenting. And the visit of Rui, Gilo, Sagui, Dollar and all the other teachers and players I’ve known in the last years made this an unforgetable ocasion for me – and I’m not even mentioning the cake with my beautifull young face stamped on it.

I just want to say thank you to you all, specialy Jakob who organised this event, and I hope we can do, together, similar events on the future, bringing different people and players from different places to meet and partake together all capoeira can give us.

Nestor Capoeira

Mestre! Malandros, mulatas, moleques, mulheres, ladies and gentlemen, kammerater, veninder, drenge og piger!

If you will excuse me, I would like to write this coment in english, partly since it is written in apreciation and tribute to mestre Nestor Capoeira!

It is though, likewise written, in appreciation of my own teacher and dear friend Jacob, professor Shhten and professor Dino and all those Capoeristas – new or old, big or small, sexy or nasty – but litteraly all those, who participated in this Capoeira festival led by Nestor from wednesday to friday.

I found it to be yet another great opportunity and excuse, for all of us to meet with eachother, to engage in this wonderful universe of movement, rhytm, philosophy, play, liberation…that we love -

Capoeira.

It is almost always great to be involved with this universe! I for one found, that the idea that was also part of Dinos last arrangement. Trying to extend our common bonds, to further establish conections between the different groups and academies in Denmark and in Copenhagen, was also present here. Due to the fact that we during this festival with Nestor moved around town – Quilombo, Senzala 2200 og Senzala Frederiksberg – to an extend that even when the actual program had finished, a couple of Dinos students and one of Ruis, came to continue with us on saturday.

That in itself bears whitness to the dephts of energy and good vibes, established presicely because of all those colective energies reliesed thru our common endeavours.

It was three exiting days, with physical training, new partners, new exercises, other angles, jokes og røverhistorier (Nestor is very good at Røverhistorier, and some of them are true!)

Days with exiting new information, debates about philosophy -
Malicia, malandragem. About History, and about Ritual –

not many people has like Nestor tried to gather more acurate and or objective knowledge about the past. Precisely this is refreshing in a universe that is easily subject to mythmaking and fantasy, which in itself is not the problem, but can be rather tidious and lead to a shalow view of the complexity of this our wonderful but living heritage Capoeira.

Anyway all i wanted to say was OBRIGADO Mestre!

One thing I would like to add though – It is good that your not here every time, because I am fucking tired!

Thank you to everybody Homen e Menino e Mulher!

Axé

Cozinheiro