Remember that pop quiz in this blog’s introduction post? Never be caught unwares again, after we’re through with Ie viva meu Mestra, Mandingueira‘s very first post series! Focusing on the lives and accomplishments of female mestres, or mestras, around the world, this series seeks to redress the balance of prominent figures offered to capoeira students as hero(in)es to revere or look up to. From Mestra Suelly, the first and possibly only (please correct me if I’m wrong) North American mestra, to Mestra Edna Lima, the first mestra ever, these women should have wider recognition for what they have done, as inspirations to women and meninas everywhere who do capoeira today. Please come back soon to read our first profile and biography, on Mestra Edna Lima!
Update: Just so there’s no confusion, mestranda and contra-mestra are terms used for the same rank in different grupos, indicating the level right below mestra.
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Ie Viva Meu Mestra: Archives
Why Write about Female Mestres? The Feminist Catch-22
Part 1: Mestra Edna Lima
Part 2: Mestra Suelly
Part 3: Mestranda Marcia/Cigarra
Part 4: Contra-Mestra Marisa Cordeiro
Part 5: Mestra Janja
Part 6: Mestra Paulinha
Part 7: Contra-Mestra Susy
Part 8: Mestra Jararaca
Part 9: Contra-Mestra Cristina
Videos:
Mestra Edna Lima, Mestra Suelly, and Mestranda Marcia
Mestra Marcia/Cigarra
Mestra Janja and Grupo Nzinga
Mestra Paulinha
Contra-Mestra Susy (Grupo Vadiacão, Capoeira Angola)
Mestra Jararaca
Mandingueira 
this is not about Mestra Edna
it´s about you video links
there are two videos of Mestra Paulinha
the one is an old video, she´s playing with Joao Pequeno
and the other one is in Costa Rica playing with a student of the FICA
my respects this is a great blog
These are great, thanks so much! I will definitely be posting them up some time this week. =)
hi,
do you fancy adding master sylvia bazzarelli of http://www.londonschoolofcapoeira.co.uk to your series?
she featured in my first experience of capoeira, years ago, in an advert run on british tv for the orange mobile phone network.
the london school website has a link to an interview she did for bbc radio 4, which may be a good start for research.
love,
emma