ABCCNJ a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization
ABCCNJ is as a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization founded to promote and provide education in Afro Brazilian Arts, folklore, music, language and culture. It reflects the vision of Mestre Gaivota (David Morgan) who has been sharing Afro Brazilian Arts in the US since 1999. We offer access to comprehensive, high quality educational programs, lectures, workshops and presentations that enrich the lives of the people whom we serve, and encourage their cultural development.
The goal of ABCCNJ is to create awareness of the depth and breadth of the African-Brazilian experience, with a strong focus on Capoeira, a rich hybrid fight-like dance, dance-like fight, ritual, and way of life. To achieve its mission, ABCCNJ teaches Capoeira and other related traditional art forms; presents artistic, social, and cultural events that aim to strengthen the community; publishes written works; produces musical recordings and documentary films. This diverse body of work supports the human and aesthetic values of our culture rich community. ABCCNJ welcomes similar organizations and individuals to participate in an ongoing dialogue of ideas and to develop collaborative projects that challenge and bring out the best in all of us.
We see ourselves as ambassadors of Brazilian culture, an organization which serves a family oriented community, striving to provide the benefit of arts, movement, and culture to our community. We put a great emphasis on capoeira, an art form that has grown exponentially in the last 30 years. Capoeira is an extraordinary product of the confluence of African cultures in the Americas that crosses the gamut of race, economic class, culture, and gender. Today in Brazil, Capoeira is considered a cultural treasure, a potent means of self-expression and a dynamic tool for personal growth. Capoeira has established itself outside Brazil as an art that can awaken individuals to their greatest potential. In 2014, capoeira was recognized by UNESCO as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".
ABCCNJ provides scholarships to students interested in learning Afro Brazilian Arts. These scholarships allow students to take classes in Afro Brazilian Arts at affiliated Cultural Centers. Scholarships awarded to students covers all costs of classes and related materials for a twelve-month period. We partner with Afro Brazilian Cultural Centers to publicize our scholarships to their student and community base. Scholarship amounts are paid to the affiliated Afro Brazilian Cultural Centers to offset the costs of the awarded student.
Give a Donation
Your help will go a long way to making sure that our goals are realized. Thank you for considering a contribution.
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Scholarship Support:
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Supplement the scholarships that we give to our local youth training in New Jersey from various neighborhoods, as well as through our related Capoeira Association schools. Our goal is to get as many young people who are interested in capoeira to discover their possibilities in it and the power of capoeira to speak to and through them.
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General Operating Support:
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Contribute to maintain our occupancy expenses; marketing costs; equipment (tumbling mats, bags and pads for kicking drills, musical instruments); teacher and staff training and salaries.
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Volunteer
If you know of a great way to help us and would like to volunteer your time or services, please, we would be grateful to hear from you. Just visit our contact page and let us know how you would like to help.