capoeira

I’ve gotten my first cord – yellow – last month! :) :) Batizado is one of the best experiences I’ve ever gone through.

Capoeira = LOVE

yup

Ahh I love love love this beautiful art. I live on capoeira, but it also lives in me. My heart beats, beats for the roda, for the music, for the people.

It is what keeps me going day by day. Just the thought of class makes me happy.

I’m growing fond of this martial arts as I delve deeper into its teachings. I’m just as glad as most of you here that I persisted and insisted on taking up this class.

I love capoeira and especially the capoeiristas.

You people are amazing, I can almost just weep now.

doing it but not doing it as much as i would like… hang in there and i hope….

For Capoeira Angola, unlike many games or martial arts, music is essential to play; without it the game is unimaginable. In this the art resembles many cultural manifestations of African origin, dependent on the intimate relation between music, movement, play, and spirituality. The music of Capoeira Angola is so important in part because it helps to integrate the body and mind of the capoeirista, and also because it contributes to the playful character of the game. Not only the speed, quality and intensity of the music determine the timing and movement of the players; the aesthetic demand that a player move in relation to the rhythm also prevents the art from becoming simplistic or purely aggressive. A good player must learn to balance the aesthetic and athletic, the artistic and combative aspects of the art simultaneously. Powered by the fusion of rhythms summoned by the musicians, moving to what is simultaneously a rhythm of dance and war, the capoeirista can often find unrecognized resources in her or himself or have experiences which can only be described as spiritual.

To say that the art is profound does not imply that it is not playful. On the contrary, it is exactly the blend of intimacy and respect, humour and gravity, which can make the roda (the ring in which Capoeira Angola is played) a place where the everyday and the spiritual can come together. For this reason, the roda is entered with joy and laughter, but also with profound reverence. It is music that, in so many cultures of Africa and the African diaspora, brings together the natural and supernatural, providing a common language through which gods and humans can communicate. The instruments and music of the roda are a link to religious traditions, not just musical accompaniment for the game.

Music also assures a relationship between the players and the audience. Through the music, the leader of the orchestra can help preserve the correct relationship between the players, prevent the contest from spinning out of control, and simultaneously add energy to the interplay. Sometimes this is done overtly in the lyrics of the songs – the singers may cajole, criticize, mock, praise, or challenge the players. Always, however, it is the unbreakable link between the music and the movement of the players – rhythm – that creates and maintains the roda.

For Capoeira Angola, unlike many games or martial arts, music is essential to play; without it the game is unimaginable. In this the art resembles many cultural manifestations of African origin, dependent on the intimate relation between music, movement, play, and spirituality. The music of Capoeira Angola is so important in part because it helps to integrate the body and mind of the capoeirista, and also because it contributes to the playful character of the game. Not only the speed, quality and intensity of the music determine the timing and movement of the players; the aesthetic demand that a player move in relation to the rhythm also prevents the art from becoming simplistic or purely aggressive. A good player must learn to balance the aesthetic and athletic, the artistic and combative aspects of the art simultaneously. Powered by the fusion of rhythms summoned by the musicians, moving to what is simultaneously a rhythm of dance and war, the capoeirista can often find unrecognized resources in her or himself or have experiences which can only be described as spiritual.

To say that the art is profound does not imply that it is not playful. On the contrary, it is exactly the blend of intimacy and respect, humour and gravity, which can make the roda (the ring in which Capoeira Angola is played) a place where the everyday and the spiritual can come together. For this reason, the roda is entered with joy and laughter, but also with profound reverence. It is music that, in so many cultures of Africa and the African diaspora, brings together the natural and supernatural, providing a common language through which gods and humans can communicate. The instruments and music of the roda are a link to religious traditions, not just musical accompaniment for the game.

Music also assures a relationship between the players and the audience. Through the music, the leader of the orchestra can help preserve the correct relationship between the players, prevent the contest from spinning out of control, and simultaneously add energy to the interplay. Sometimes this is done overtly in the lyrics of the songs – the singers may cajole, criticize, mock, praise, or challenge the players. Always, however, it is the unbreakable link between the music and the movement of the players – rhythm – that creates and maintains the roda.

so i can barely walk. and i feel really happy. i can do this. the class is hard, but i can train. i can get stronger. just watch. ^_

manhoso (the teacher) told me today that the first woman he ever loved had an ornate version of my name. he said i am only the second person with my name he’s ever met, and we’re both beautiful, inside and out.
i felt pretty happy. i am happy that he appreciates my inner beauty in spite of my extreme, soon to be remedied physical weakness.

up the capoeiristas!

I can’t describe how much I love capoeira. It’s all about having fun and challenging yourself to use your body in new ways. It really has everything to do with your teacher and your class. If it wasn’t for my wonderful class, I don’t know if I would like it half as much as I do now. (though I’m sure I would still think it was totally amazing) Some people I know go to a school that has a gym and fancy equipment and they tried to convince me to go with them. I can’t imagine needing anything more than our wooden floors and cement walls. That’s just not what capoeira is about. :O)

holy. crap.

capoeira makes me so happy.
i just got back from class. capoeira is beautiful and fluid and subtle and graceful and tricksy. so much of it is applicable to life too.
- circular movements
- moving from the center
- if someone kicks you, flow with the kick

Went to the class yesterday. the teacher wasn’t there, but another student was, so i asked if he wanted to show me some stuff. next thing you know these two talented students are giving me all this high-quality attention and i don’t even have to pay them because they’re not the teacher!
don is particular was awesome. we were doing sequences across the floor and i was nearly falling over and my legs were screaming but he wouldn’t let me stop. “i know it hurts,” he said, “but that’s kind of the idea.” he pushed me further than i knew i could go. hurrah! he prescribed pushups and cartwheels for my weak upper body.