ABSTRACT
When we began to write this book, which we had planned several years before, Claudio was a successful contra-mestre, established in Bristol and Cardiff and known in the UK and Europe. While we were writing it, his masters in Bristol decided that he and his close friend Rodrigo Vila were ready to be raised to the grade of mestre in August 2016. As soon as that was known, students past and present in the UK and as far away as Japan began to book flights and save money to go to Brasilia for the elevation. Messages of delight flew round on social media. No better ending for the book could have been devised. In this chapter we have briefly reflected on three aspects of our experiences that highlight the core topics of the book. These are the ‘seductive’ nature of capoeira, the success of Claudio’s work with students (which have led to his elevation to mestre) and the sociological potential of capoeira (and other martial arts).
