Martial arts meets music, flow as Argyros Plaza’s Tuesday Night Dance features capoeira

Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Argyros Plaza in Costa Mesa was a scene of mass movement Tuesday evening, as locals participated in a dance tradition dating back to the 16th century that seamlessly blends martial arts, rhythm and song.

In the span of a one-hour class, students learned the fundamentals of capoeira, a Brazilian style of movement developed by West African slaves as a secret fighting technique, cloaked in song and dance, that has developed into an innovative and rhythmic art form practiced and appreciated all over the world today.

Instructor Jackson “Mosquito” Ferreira, of San Francisco’s ABADÁ-Capoeira, learned the practice in 1989 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and began teaching classes in capoeira’s nation of origin in 2007. On Tuesday, he shared brief highlights of the tradition and coached dancers through movements set to music.

Mark and Dina Waters practice capoeira at Segerstrom Center’s Argyros Plaza on Tuesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

The class was the second of five sessions that run each week, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., through August as part of Argyros Plaza’s Tuesday Night Dance series.

Marytza Rubio, Segerstrom’s director of community engagement, said the weekly dance classes have become one of the most popular offerings at Argyros Plaza and part of a commitment to open the space to the wider public.

“We really want the plaza to be a place that feels like a community center, where everybody is welcome,” she said. “The instructors we chose are charismatic and engaging and know how to appeal to all levels of dancers. And we’re outside, so people feel free to dance and listen to music — it’s a really good energy.”

In addition to evening weekly dance sessions, Segerstrom plans to host a silent disco on Aug. 28, during which participants have music piped into headphones and dance individually and collectively. Meanwhile, plans are in the works for a full day of activities in honor of National Dance Day on Sept. 18.

Chris Upham, left, and Sarah Scott high five during a capoeira class at Segerstrom Center’s Argyros Plaza on Tuesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Tuesday night dance classes cost $10 per person. No experience is necessary, and all ages and all levels of ability are welcome. For more, visit scfta.org.

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