I got back from Brasil last night, feeling both tired and energized. It has been a while since I felt so excited about a place, but Brasil did get to me.
Before I left, Abelinha told me to "enjoy every minute" and that Brasil was a "magical place". She was right, there was always something that was slightly in-your-face about this country. Streets are colourful, people are noisy, demonstrative, the food was decadent and filling, and the capeoristas of all levels were stunning and inspiring. I also got into the sultry forro nightclubs and the samba after the roda.
On the people...
The thing that really made this trip special was the energy and vitality of the people in Bantus Capoeira. Playing capoeira with kids and mestres in the favela made me realise that capoeira is something universal and without boundaries. The kids helped me to sing in Portuguese and workshops taught me more moves for Angola, expression, and sets of moves. But more than that, they welcomed us to the group, tried hard to communicate in a mixture of Portuguese, English, translations through Bolinha, and of course, our bodies in the roda. Special memories are of kids called Coelho (The Rabbit), Lobelinha (female wolf), Nike Costello and Julia (two very cool teenagers who looked after me) and a kid called Porky. I even took an apelido, which was not something I expected to do at my batizado last year. I am now Pimenta or Pimentinha (little Pimenta) on account of my red cheeks, and as Cacapa said, what comes out of my mouth...
On the capoeira....
I felt that I was doing my best to keep up with people who were all much better than me, even the kids. Going into the roda was harder than I thought but I did get in and do my best. I learnt that I need to keep my eye on the other person, keep my guard up, and keep my legs straight for kicks. Some practice sessions in the Sourisso do Legarto hostel with Bolinha and Cacapa were really good for helping me understand about how to balance and shift my weight. I got better at singing - the rhythms are easy, the words are hard. I still feel more at home with movement than instruments. But getting more comfortable with singing is a good first step.
On Fica Vivo...
Bantus Capoeira works with an organization called Fica Vivo, "Stay Alive", that enables young kids in the favelas to grow up safely and to learn skills for adult life through capoeira. I interviewed one of the teachers, Guinho, and was very moved by his account of the work with young people. More on this later!
On Bantus Capoeira Japan
We have our batizado in November and I will meet Mestre Pintor again, and hopefully get my next cord. Last year I didn't play that big a role in the run up to the batizado because I was in the UK, but this year I want to contribute more axe. I am looking forward to my first class on Wednesday!
Before I left, Abelinha told me to "enjoy every minute" and that Brasil was a "magical place". She was right, there was always something that was slightly in-your-face about this country. Streets are colourful, people are noisy, demonstrative, the food was decadent and filling, and the capeoristas of all levels were stunning and inspiring. I also got into the sultry forro nightclubs and the samba after the roda.
On the people...
The thing that really made this trip special was the energy and vitality of the people in Bantus Capoeira. Playing capoeira with kids and mestres in the favela made me realise that capoeira is something universal and without boundaries. The kids helped me to sing in Portuguese and workshops taught me more moves for Angola, expression, and sets of moves. But more than that, they welcomed us to the group, tried hard to communicate in a mixture of Portuguese, English, translations through Bolinha, and of course, our bodies in the roda. Special memories are of kids called Coelho (The Rabbit), Lobelinha (female wolf), Nike Costello and Julia (two very cool teenagers who looked after me) and a kid called Porky. I even took an apelido, which was not something I expected to do at my batizado last year. I am now Pimenta or Pimentinha (little Pimenta) on account of my red cheeks, and as Cacapa said, what comes out of my mouth...
On the capoeira....
I felt that I was doing my best to keep up with people who were all much better than me, even the kids. Going into the roda was harder than I thought but I did get in and do my best. I learnt that I need to keep my eye on the other person, keep my guard up, and keep my legs straight for kicks. Some practice sessions in the Sourisso do Legarto hostel with Bolinha and Cacapa were really good for helping me understand about how to balance and shift my weight. I got better at singing - the rhythms are easy, the words are hard. I still feel more at home with movement than instruments. But getting more comfortable with singing is a good first step.
On Fica Vivo...
Bantus Capoeira works with an organization called Fica Vivo, "Stay Alive", that enables young kids in the favelas to grow up safely and to learn skills for adult life through capoeira. I interviewed one of the teachers, Guinho, and was very moved by his account of the work with young people. More on this later!
On Bantus Capoeira Japan
We have our batizado in November and I will meet Mestre Pintor again, and hopefully get my next cord. Last year I didn't play that big a role in the run up to the batizado because I was in the UK, but this year I want to contribute more axe. I am looking forward to my first class on Wednesday!
