Joseph is a burgeoning Capoeirista. One night, while playing in the roda with some friends, he accidentally hit one of them in the face. In response to that experience, he wrote a poem called The Roda. Below is an excerpt. Enjoy!
ever fleeting existence of my miniature....minute....little self before the sons and daughters of boundless energy. I am great and little. I am big and small. Inexperienced. Insults to my elders and curses to my teachers I bring to their table. I am lost in the wonders of my own potential. Miscommunication time and time again with my life in gentle hands of fellow brothers. Sisters...beautiful women. Sirens leading me to intoxication that I reciprocate with stupidity. Insect that I am. Crushed again and again to be reincarnated. To play....once more.
Last week on Capoeira Science, Cordao de Ouro London's Contra-Mestre Casquinha posted a list of his favorite Capoeira quotes from various Capoeira masters. It's really cool to see what quotes experienced Capoeiristas reference to keep themselves inspired. Below are a couple favorites. Enjoy!
"The flame of this beautiful art is now in your hands. You can dampen it, you can burn yourself or your brothers and sisters, or, afraid of its heat, you can let go of it. I hope that you take good care of your capoeira and kindle this fire alive and powerful, enlightening your life". (Mestre Acordeon)
21st Century Hobo, a blog about one man taking a hiatus to find himself through travel and experience, wrote about his encounter with Tribo Jeri - Capoeira Jericoacoara on the beaches of Jericoacoara, a beautiful beach city in Ceará, Brazil. 21st Century Hobo's biggest shock was the martial art aspect of Capoeira he saw in the rodas on the beach. The bottom link has some great pics and roda footage.
I'm sure you've heard of Capoeira - it's the dancy, singy ‘martial' art of Brazil. I had watched it on numerous occasions in the US always admiring the choreography and athleticism of the players, but it never ‘really' appeared a martial art. I never saw contact or any sparring for that matter - just some people dancing around each other.
Enter Tribo Jeri, the local capoeira group here in Jeri. In the last two weeks I have seen: one stone-cold knockout, one full contact fight resulting in a swollen face, and a foot with two broken bones. Not your grandma's capoeira.
Davis, one of Pedro's students in Richmond, met him [Mestre Panao] on such a visit. The two corresponded for a few years until 2005 when Pedro's school in Brazil closed due to financial trouble.
Davis said his teacher's great love for students sometimes takes precedence over collecting on their dues, which landed the Sao Paulo school in debt despite hundreds of patrons.
In the midst of these financial troubles and what Pedro describes as a "bad personal situation" Davis devised a plan to bring the Capoeira master to Richmond.
The middle school teacher and Capoeira student used his own money to buy Pedro's plane ticket and provided a home for him until he could afford his own.
Davis says that the year living with Pedro is the reason he became good at capoeira; the two would practice six days a week.
The training is physically demanding and repetitive. Pedro drills his students with hundreds of kick repetitions every night. But students agree that the benefits of Pedro's approach to Capoeira extend beyond the gym.
Here's a cool video both showcase awesome tricking skills and introduce tricking in general. It's pretty nice and will definately motivate you to work on those floeiros. Enjoy, click the link below for background on the video and the performers.
Axé Capoeira with Mestre Barrão and Professor Barrãozinho got some publicity in Vancouver, Canada on hip Vancouver themed news site, Beyond Robson.
On a sunny day in Vancouver, you may come across Axé Capoeira performing on the street. To the pounding beat of capoeira music, two muscled men or women -- scantily-clad bodies dripping with sweat -- are engaged in a exchange of kicks, escapes, and take-downs. Capoeristas call capoeira "the game," but for those of you who think it is just a game, a quick look at Professor Barrãozinho's 20-second MMA Knock Out will tell you different.
The people at the Rio de Janeiro-themed Yerba Mate drink Rio Mate published a post promoting the upcoming popular African music and arts festival, Afro Fest, in downtown Toronto, Canada with focus on the Capoeira open roda during the festival led by Contra Mestre Lua Branca of Capoeira Malês.
The "open roda" is a roda where all groups and capoeiristas are welcome and encouraged to attend. While in theory all rodas are open and anybody can attend, many capoeira groups tend to have what are called in-house rodas that focus mostly upon their students and their particular style of capoeira. The great thing about open rodas is that because they are purposely called open rodas, the vibe is one of cross-group unity and camaraderie between groups. Normally people from different groups will use these occasions to play someone they have never seen before, usually, and hopefully, in good spirits.
I'm sure you've heard of Capoeira - it's the dancy, singy ‘martial' art of Brazil. I had watched it on numerous occasions in the US always admiring the choreography and athleticism of the players, but it never ‘really' appeared a martial art. I never saw contact or any sparring for that matter - just some people dancing around each other.
Davis, one of Pedro's students in Richmond, met him [Mestre Panao] on such a visit. The two corresponded for a few years until 2005 when Pedro's school in Brazil closed due to financial trouble. 
On a sunny day in Vancouver, you may come across Axé Capoeira performing on the street. To the pounding beat of capoeira music, two muscled men or women -- scantily-clad bodies dripping with sweat -- are engaged in a exchange of kicks, escapes, and take-downs. Capoeristas call capoeira "the game," but for those of you who think it is just a game, a quick look at Professor Barrãozinho's 20-second MMA Knock Out will tell you different.
The "open roda" is a roda where all groups and capoeiristas are welcome and encouraged to attend. While in theory all rodas are open and anybody can attend, many capoeira groups tend to have what are called in-house rodas that focus mostly upon their students and their particular style of capoeira. The great thing about open rodas is that because they are purposely called open rodas, the vibe is one of cross-group unity and camaraderie between groups. Normally people from different groups will use these occasions to play someone they have never seen before, usually, and hopefully, in good spirits.