All mestres, professors and capoeiristas,

Thank you for helping to make "capoeira history" in Santa Cruz, California on May 6, 2006. Since the U.S. Open Capoeira Tournament, I have received dozens of emails of appreciation and enthusiasm for the event. Together we took a step toward making capoeira a mainstream art form whose practitioners are united by love of its beauty, culture, and history. What prevailed weren't any capoeira style or group but the love for the game.

At the US Open Capoeira Tournament there was no winners or losers, there was a strong display of love for capoeira that ultimately made the art capoeira the big winner that day. When a capoeira event is successful, regardless of who is organizing it, everyone from all capoeira groups and schools benefits from it. That's was the premise of the US Open invitation: the more we organize and work together, the more the art form will gain grounds here and many people will start seeing and respect capoeira and many opportunities will be available for those who teach the art form.

For six hours straight our hearts were full with the beauty and excitement of the capoeira that you brought to Santa Cruz. It was a feast of participation and sharing and fun on so many levels. I am grateful to all of you, especially those of you who traveled for the event, for your willingness to step outside your routines and give your heart and soul to capoeira, not just to your own game, not just to your grupo and mestre, but to the game of capoeira itself.

My only regret is that the event was over almost before it began. After the hours of competition, and the final fun and joy of the roda near the clock tower in Santa Cruz, one by one you returned home, and I didn't always have the opportunity to say "goodbye" and thank you personally.

My special thanks for all the capoeira schools that participated in the 2006 US Open Capoeira Tournament:

Mestre Bira Acordeon, Mestre Barrão, Mestre Beiçola, Mestre Boneco, Mestre Marcelo Caveirinha, Mestre Batata, Mestre Papiba, Mestre Samuka, Mestre Efraim, Contra-Mestre Pilão, Contra-Mestre Sabará, Contra-Mestre Serpente, Contra-Mestre Montanha, Professora Sorriso, Instructor Tuzinho, Professora Rosada, Instructor Camará, Instrutor Bambu, Instrutor Paraiba, and Monitor Currupio.

Keep up the good work on behalf of capoeira wherever you are this year, and let's meet again next year in for the Second Annual U.S. Open Capoeira Tournament. The date will be May 20th in San Francisco, California.