October 24th is Mestra Márcia Cigarra’s birthday! At ABADÁ-SF we like to celebrate her every day, particularly in October. If you see Mestra, be sure to tell her Feliz Aniversário!
Mestra Márcia Cigarra (Márcia Treidler) is a 40+-year capoeira veteran and the founder and artistic director of ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco. She began capoeira in 1982 under the renowned Mestre Camisa, a student of the legendary Mestre Bimba.
Only a handful of women trained capoeira through the 1980s. Márcia was determined to change the trajectory for women in the art. With persistent hard work, she earned respect and a place amongst the leading practitioners. She began teaching street children in 1987 and by 1990 had attained the highest level reached by any woman in ABADÁ-Capoeira, a status she maintains today.
Throughout the decades, Mestra Márcia Cigarra has protected the integrity of capoeira by illuminating its historic significance while advancing cultural knowledge; mentoring next-generation artists; and amplifying gender equity in capoeira internationally.
2024 marks her 33rd year teaching capoeira in San Francisco!