Lerin Williams

From a very young age, I've had a deep-rooted desire to travel the world, experience different cultures, and use music to engage and connect everyone. My love of music that began on the violin grew into a life long passion that led me to obtain a Bachelor's degree of Music in K-12 Music Education. I studied jazz piano and played with many jazz ensembles at UNC-Wilmington, arranged and performed songs for my own jazz piano recital, as well as played around the Wilmington community. Being a musician allows me to have an inside perspective of something that is intrinsic to all cultures, regardless of how remote the location. Upon my first trip to Brasil at the age of 19, I traveled to Belo Horizonte to visit a dear friend. During my travels, we went to a soapstone festival in Ouro Preto that had a large, cobblestone praca (square) where I saw Capoeira Angola for the first time. There was a large crowd gathered around a circle of diverse individuals, some teenagers and some up to their mid sixties in age, who were all singing Portuguese words to African rhythms, accompanying eight musicians that were playing traditional instruments (berimbau, pandeiros, etc.). Two people were in the center of the circle having the most eloquent and fluid conversation with their bodies, exhibiting immense strength, poise, balance, and knowledge of martial arts in motion. I knew after this day at some point in my life I would live in Brasil for a period of time and study how to do this entrancing art form. That same trip I bought a berimbau and began learning about the history and culture of Capoeira Angola.

I have recently returned from my second trip to Brasil, in which I taught English at an international school in Manaus, Amazonas for sixth months. I had the opportunity to train everyday with Grupo Cativeiro Capoeira Angola, led by Mestre Carlos Bonates. Carlos Bonates has a doctorate in Biology and has published two books on Capoeira Angola. Mestre Bonates is from Manaus, Amazonas and studied capoeira Angola from the person responsible for bringing Capoeira Angola to the Amazon. He now travels all over Europe and Brasil giving lectures, training, and in depth workshops about Capoeira Angola. I also had the opportunity to train with some of his best students/ professors while he was traveling. Felipe Barbosa de Oliveira has studied for twenty years and also worked for non-profit organizations teaching capoeira to children in Jamaica for two years. Angelo, a colleague of Felipe, has recently returned to work for the organization in Jamaica and is currently traveling to Germany, Spain, and Italy to do workshops and demonstrations of Capoeira Angola.

I have both seen and experienced first-hand how intrinsic and powerful Capoeira Angola is to members of the community from children to elders. It promotes peace while encouraging awareness of African culture in an extremely unique and vibrant way.