The Demo Team
From left to right: list of names and all that jazz
Grupo Axé Capoeira - Trinidad & Tobago, has a demonstration team of approximately 10 students. The students are deicated to promoting, not only the grupo, but also capoeira on a whole both locally and internationally. Capoeira is still not as respected as it should be within the martial arts circle and, as such, it is necessary to have a team of students who will push capoeira as an authentic martial art while also showing the many different aspects that make up the tradition of capoeira.Also, as a school gets bigger, it is no longer only up to the instructor to guide the newer members of the school. There must also be a group of senior students who will assist in training as well as whose dedication will lead them to carry on the tradition if, for some reason, the instructor is unable to. Grupo Axé - T&T is no exception.
To successfully teach this, there is special team training once a month where the team members get extra tuition in fight techniques, floreiros (acrobatics), philosophy...the entire tradition of capoeira, with an aim to ensure that these are the best students in the school. Getting on the team is not easy. Students have to show their dedication and determination before they are invited to be a part of the team. The team members also look out for the other members of the grupo and, as such, one cannot just accept any and everybody onto the team.
The T&T Demo Team continues to represent the school in demonstrations locally and regionally. A few members visited Guyana in 2007 for Carifesta. The team members are also the main students who will attend open rodas as these are often fraught with danger (as different schools will almost inevitably have rivalries). They therefore carry the grupo with them in spirit wherever they go and also have to conduct themselves in a manner when meeting with the general public as they represent the school, and by extension, not only Azulão, but also Mestre Barrão and all the other mestres, no matter where they go.
