// A guide for women
Capoeira for women in Croydon.
Capoeira Club Croydon is women-led. Founded and taught by Professora Caline Cezimbra “Areia”, our roda is a place where women of every age, size and background come to move, sing, and take up space.
Why women choose capoeira.
Full-body strength
Kicks, esquivas and floor movement build functional strength, mobility and stamina. No gym machines, just your body and the ground.
Self-defence, without aggression
Capoeira teaches you to read distance, dodge, and move under pressure. Awareness and calm are the real self-defence skills you take home.
Mental health & confidence
Playing in the roda pushes shyness aside. Women tell us they leave classes standing taller, breathing deeper, and laughing more.
Rhythm, music & voice
Learn berimbau, pandeiro and the songs of Afro-Brazilian tradition. Singing in a circle of women is its own kind of medicine.
Sisterhood & community
Our roda is majority-women and welcoming to all. You'll train alongside beginners, mums, professionals and lifelong capoeiristas.
Afro-Brazilian culture
Capoeira was created by enslaved Africans in Brazil as resistance and freedom. Every class honours that lineage.
// A women-led school
Trained by a woman, for women (and everyone else).
Professora Areia has been playing capoeira since 2006 and teaching in South London for over a decade. She built Capoeira Club Croydon as a space where women feel at home from their very first class: warm, encouraging, and taught with care.
This is not a women-only class; it’s an adult class where most students happen to be women, so the atmosphere is warm and feminine while everyone is welcome. Men train here too, and all are treated as equals in the roda.
Adults and children train separately: the adult class runs on Friday evenings and Mindful Moves on Wednesday mornings, while kids have their own dedicated class. Beginners try their first ginga alongside students of every level. Everyone is welcome; no experience is assumed.
Meet Professora AreiaWhat your first class looks like.
- 01
Arrive 10 minutes early. Wear comfortable clothes you can move in, no shoes needed.
- 02
We warm up together with rhythm, breath and simple ginga (the base sway of capoeira).
- 03
You'll learn a handful of movements: kicks, dodges, and how to move with a partner.
- 04
We close in a roda, a circle with music, singing and playful sparring. You choose your level.
Common questions from women.
- I'm not fit or flexible. Can I still start?
- Yes. Every movement scales. We meet you where you are and build from there. Most women feel stronger and more mobile within a few weeks.
- Is capoeira safe? I don't want to get hit.
- Capoeira is a game, not a fight. Contact is controlled and you learn to dodge as much as you learn to kick. You're always in charge of your intensity.
- Is this a women-only class?
- No. It's an adult class where most students are women, so the environment feels feminine and welcoming, but everyone is accepted, and men train here too.
- Can I bring my children to the class?
- The adult class is for adults only, so children can't join it. Kids have their own dedicated Capoeira class on Fridays; you can train while they train in their own session.
- Do I need a partner or previous martial arts experience?
- No. Come alone or bring a friend. Absolute beginners are the norm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- What do I wear?
- Leggings or joggers, a t-shirt, bare feet. Once you commit, we can help you get the traditional white abadá uniform.
Step into the roda.
Your first class is on us. Come see what a women-led capoeira community feels like.