Mestre Efraim Silva
Name:
Group: Raca em Movimento
Country: USA (North-America)
City: New Haven, CT
Birthday: 1964-09-10
Day of death: 0000-00-00
Website: http://www.usacapoeira.com/
Image: ../mestres/images/silva.gif
About Mestre Efraim Silva
Efraim Silva was born on the 10th of August 1964, in Guaruja, Sao Paulo, Brazil, the third youngest among thirteen children. He started to practice Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art / dance form, at age 13, from one of his older brothers, and later under Mestre Trindade and Mestre Humberto. At age 17 he became instructor. He also studied Brazilian folk dance and music (Maculele, Puxada de Rede and Samba de Roda), and was awarded state certification as a professional musician and rhythmist by the Federation of Capoeira in Sao Paulo. In 1985, after serving two years in the Brazilian Air Force, he started his own Capoeira group “Raca em Movimento” and opened his own academy in Braganca Paulista, Sao Paulo. He participated in all major Capoeira competitions in Brazil and became state champion of Sao Paulo, then in 1988 the national champion of Capoeira in group. He moved to the United States in 1989, went through extensive training with the Connecticut Commission on the Arts on how to integrate arts into the schools’ curriculum, and became Master Teaching Artist in 1993. He was awarded Master of Capoeira certificate by the Sao Paulo Federation of Capoeira in 1994. He is the artistic director of the non-profit organization “Afro-Brazilian Performing Arts of CT” and performs with his dance company, Ginga Brasileira, in theaters, schools, universities and festivals all over the United States. He also teaches Capoeira at Yale University, at Norwalk Community College, University of Connecticut, and also in his own studio at Connecticut Capoeira Center in New Haven and several other locations around the Tri State area.