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Playing in the Light: My Journey with the Art of Capoeira
“Wherever life takes you, Patrick, follow your bliss. Do what makes you happy and fulfilled. If you stay true to yourself and chase your dreams, you can make them come true.” These were weighty words for a seven-year-old, but Patrick Hilligan, now also known as Mestre Galego, took them to heart and embarked on a lifelong quest for the extraordinary.
Leaving rural Illinois Patrick adventures through Roman ruins, life on an Israeli kibbutz, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Traveling across the globe he encounters American bandits and a Mexican shaman, celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Oaxaca and Carnaval in Bahia, and finds his roots in Ireland and his purpose in California.
After a self-styled vision quest, Patrick devotes himself to learning capoeira, a 500-year-old Brazilian martial art rich in acrobatics, dance, music, and philosophy. It is through capoeira that he finds the purpose he so intensely pursued all his life and the way to make his dreams come true.
Playing in the Light reveals how youthful ideals can come to fruition, and how one person can make a difference while rejecting complacency and corruption. It is a call to follow the deepest yearnings of the heart despite the challenges life brings, and to find true fulfillment.
From the Foreword by Mestre
“Just as I made a brave leap into the unknown by coming to the U.S. with capoeira, Galego has leapt as well. His commitment to capoeira, made so many years ago, has blossomed into a career. Decades later, he and I are still talking and playing capoeira, intrigued by its never-ending profundity and reach. Enjoy this voyage, in which an unlikely Irish American guy finds himself at the right place in the right moment to begin his capoeira story and to become a part of capoeira’s history beyond Brazil.”
Leaving rural Illinois Patrick adventures through Roman ruins, life on an Israeli kibbutz, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Traveling across the globe he encounters American bandits and a Mexican shaman, celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Oaxaca and Carnaval in Bahia, and finds his roots in Ireland and his purpose in California.
After a self-styled vision quest, Patrick devotes himself to learning capoeira, a 500-year-old Brazilian martial art rich in acrobatics, dance, music, and philosophy. It is through capoeira that he finds the purpose he so intensely pursued all his life and the way to make his dreams come true.
Playing in the Light reveals how youthful ideals can come to fruition, and how one person can make a difference while rejecting complacency and corruption. It is a call to follow the deepest yearnings of the heart despite the challenges life brings, and to find true fulfillment.
From the Foreword by Mestre
“Just as I made a brave leap into the unknown by coming to the U.S. with capoeira, Galego has leapt as well. His commitment to capoeira, made so many years ago, has blossomed into a career. Decades later, he and I are still talking and playing capoeira, intrigued by its never-ending profundity and reach. Enjoy this voyage, in which an unlikely Irish American guy finds himself at the right place in the right moment to begin his capoeira story and to become a part of capoeira’s history beyond Brazil.”
Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2018
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April 26, 2021
Great stories that illustrate the progression of Galego's capoeira journey while dealing with life's struggles. Very entertaining read. The stories of his travels are informative and are reminiscent of an impromptu travel guide for anyone considering similar travels.
Displaying 1 of 1 review