Gerard Taylor is a writer living and working in the city of Oslo in Norway. He began training in capoeira in the 1980s and later received the grade Capoeira Instructor by Mestre Sombra of Associação Senzala de Santos and Mestre Sylvia Bazzarelli of the London School of Capoeira, recognized by the Brazilian Capoeira Confederation.

In 1996 the author received his "formado" graduation from Mestre Sylvia Bazzarelli and Contra Mestre Marcos Aurelio Dos Santos of the London School of Capoeira. Later that year he established the Oslo Capoeira Klubb with another "formada" of the London School, Agnes Folkestad. Over the course of the next decade Taylor has trained many hundreds of students. In 2006, the Oslo Capoeira Klubb graduated formados of its own, some of whom demonstrate the movements in Capoeira 100.

Since the late 1970s Taylor has worked in various fields of journalism and copywriting, including the Foundation for African Arts, and the Black Voice Newspaper. He has also contributed articles to Agogô Magazine and Brazzil Magazine. Taylor is the author of two previous works on capoeira: "Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola from Luanda to Cyberspace, Volume 1," a comprehensive history of pre-20th century capoeira, published by North Atlantic Books in 2005; and "Capoeira Conditioning," a whole-body training program using exercises from capoeira, published by Blue Snake Books in 2006.

Anders Kjaergaard is a professional photographer living and working in London. In addition to shooting all the photographs in Capoeira 100, he illustrated Taylor's two previous books. With Sue Parkhill, Kjaergaard is presently completing work for volume two of "Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola from Luanda to Cyberspace," which will be published in early 2007.

Kjaergaard and Parkhill are both graduates of the Royal College of Art where they studied photography on the MA program. They both continue to show their own work internationally as well as collaborating on projects such as this one.

Capoeira 100 is an illustrated guide to 100 essential techniques used in the art of capoeira. Each movement is accompanied by a series of color photographs that show how it is done, as well as helpful pointers and tips on how to apply the technique in the game of capoeira. The book is divided into sections for beginner, intermediate and advanced movements. Ground-work, kicks, escapes, "floreios," flying kicks, and acrobatic movements are all covered.

Capoeira 100 is unique among English-language capoeira books in that it is illustrated by full-color photographs, and it focuses 100% on technique. Sequences of movements, drills, games, and conditioning exercises give the reader a chance to practice capoeira workouts at least a hundred times without ever repeating the same routine twice.

These exercises can be done alone, and many can be done with a partner to create the real conditions of the game. Rather than being theoretical, all the information and instruction in this book are geared toward functional use, so that students can train at their optimal pace. Specificity of movements and exercises are structured to help readers achieve steady improvement of capoeira skills. Additionally, the author provides encouragement and no-nonsense advice, based on his 10+ years experience as a capoeira instructor and nearly 20 years as a player.

Readers not affiliated with a capoeira club will find information about the capoeira game, and advice on etiquette and strategies of play. The glossary of 100 terms helps new players understand Portuguese descriptions used in Brazil. A question-and-answer section at the end of the book addresses some of the most frequently asked enquiries about this fascinating sport.

This is an indispensable manual for those who have been searching for a concise "how-to" guide to capoeira techniques, and who are already connected with a capoeira group or teacher. It will be of interest as well to freestyle martial artists, dancers, actors, and others who increasingly look to capoeira for its inspiring and exciting techniques.

Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Distributor: Random House, Inc.
Publication Date: 01-09-2007
Pages: 366
Measurements: 10.56in X 7.75in X .77in X 2.345lb