Gerdson Dias Alves, known in Capoeira as Instructor Sapo, was born on November 27, 1984 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Sapo spent his entire childhood in a coastal city called Olinda, Brasil where he was first exposed to Capoeira when he was 8 years old and instantly felt a deep connection to it. After only a short while, Sapo began to train Capoeira with an admirable dedication and passion. After many years of practice, Sapo received his cord to be a Capoeira instructor by his first-ever Capoeira Mestre. This marked the beginning of his life-long journey and development as a Capoeira Instructor working intensively in schools, festivals, city projects, and missions for street youth.

Sapo participated in many Capoeira encounters in Brazil and in 2003 was invited to Canada to participate in an international Capoeira encounter in Vancouver, Canada. He remained in Vancouver where he taught Capoeira classes and workshops, and became part of the Afro-Brazilian performance group, performing live shows across Canada. In that same year, Sapo moved to Calgary where he opened the first Capoeira Camara academy in Calgary. Today, Sapo is part of the group “Capoeira Camarà” which, is also found in Toronto, Montreal, Peterborough, Bermuda and Brazil. Sapo has developed a strong camaraderie and an excellent working relationship with Contra-Mestre Bola, the founder of Capoeira Camarà.

Sapo demonstrates a dedication to his teaching and to the art of Capoeira, he is unquestionably the motivating force behind the group’s remarkable growth. He aspires to train strong students and contribute to Coast-to-Coast expansion of Capoeira in Canada.