Friday, May 17, 2019

Capoeira



Yesterday, I had some errands to run in an adjacent town. It was getting dark and I hurried to catch the bus back home. Suddenly, I stopped walking as  I came upon a  kids' capoeira performance.



I was attracted by the rhytmical music, the brazilian-portuguese language of the instructor, the special percussion drum, and of course, the versatile  performance of the small group.  It was a mixture of  acrobatics and  apparent fighting moves. 

They  were obviously enjoying every bit of it: the dynamics, the interraction with the others, the physical challenge, the rhytm.  It started with them standing in a circle, then two entering to play simulating a fight without touching the opponent.



That brought back memories of a conversation I once had with an adult capoeira  fan. Both he and his wife participated in adults' capoeira events, as well as in their kids' capoeira performances. He said that it was family strenghtening, that it helped kids to do well as part of a team and as individuals, and that it was one of the best extra curricular activity options.

I would also add as  side benefit that ....it takes them away from the screens:)


group preparing to leave ;  instructor's orders


42 comments:

  1. What a treat to be able to watch children doing something which is beneficial for them and their families. Better than sitting indoors and watching TV or playing computer games!

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    1. Treat, indeed. It gave me something pleasant to think about all my way back home.
      In warm weather, street/park performances are the ideal forms of entertainment.

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  2. How fun! It just seems like such a pleasant surprise to have come across this group. And you are correct, anything that takes them away from the screens and provides physical activity is great!

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    1. The children looked so happy; it was catchy !Also proud, because one had to use tricks to avoid touching the one in front of him/her.

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  3. DUTA, your timing was perfect, to come across this. I would have loved that. Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. A good timing , for a change. Usually nothing, or nothing pleasant happens on my timing.

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  4. I think this would have scared me. It looks like a street fight!

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    1. No, Sandi! It is sometimes confused for a dance as the moves are mostly gentle. There's no physical contact beteen the players; no winners or losers. the "fight" just flows with the beat of the drum.

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  5. Replies
    1. Yes, it's fun and worth watching. It looks like a perfect workout; increases flexibility, muscle-toning, and although the moves are graceful, they seem to prepare one for self-defence.

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  6. Ah, to live in Brazil where the weather is always warm, fruit of all sorts abundant and nature at its greenest and lushest... no wonder they dance around all they long and frolic naked in their sandy beaches.... How is your town dealing with Eurosong? Is it overly filled with people? Is it annoying or lovely?

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    1. Tel Aviv, the city that hosts the Eurosong, is not my hometown. I live in a nearby town.
      During this period of the contest, I don't even approach Tel Aviv although I have things to do there. At my age I try to avoid the crowds.
      However, I know well all the places involved, I follow the events, and think that so far,the city 's handling the events fine.

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  7. How interesting! This is the first I've heard of this.

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    1. I'm glad to be the first to bring capoeira to your attention. I'm sure you'll wish to learn more about it, as it's, indeed, an interesting topic.

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  8. Once again I learn something new ... thank you.

    I have not heard of Capoeira, so once I had read your post and enjoyed your photographs I looked it up here
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira

    My thanks for widening my knowledge :)

    Happy Weekend Wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  9. You're welcome.
    I did hear about it in the past, but only after watching the above little street performance,I felt I want to know more about it.

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  10. It looks terrific -- fascinating, even. And how fun to run into it, which is even better than actually seeking it out.

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    1. It's always fun to run into something unexpected and pleasant. I remember my excitement in London when I ran into a famous favorite TV actress, and the next day I saw Rudolf Nureyiev coming out of the bank, accompanied by an official (I didn't know at that time he was ill).

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  11. I can imagine it would have been fun to watch. :)

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    1. You imagine right; it has been fun to watch. The fun left me, however, a few meters further when passing a tattoo shop. The tattoo shop was full with youngsters, and I felt sorry for them. I'm not in favor of damaging the skin for stupid purposes.

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  12. That was certainly a lot of fun to watch !

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    1. It sure was, Gattina. I would like now the opportunity to watch also an adult performance of capoeira. I have the feeling that the moves in it are more agressive.

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  13. What an interesting thing to happen upon. I'm glad you got some pictures of that.

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    1. I'm glad about the pictures too, as it was getting dark, and my camera 's a simple 'point and shoot' little camera with basic functions.

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  14. I would have felt compelled to stop and watch too. Have a great week!

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    1. "compelled" - exactly my feeling.
      Have a great week too!

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  15. My son has done this! He just celebrated his 34th birthday! I've seen it on TV> Fascinating.

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    1. Happy Belated Birthday to your son!
      I'm sure he has enjoyed being a 'capoeirista'.

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  16. Replies
    1. Indeed. It's a good, positive activity with great benefits to the body of the capoerista.

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  17. Makes me want to go to Brazil! I've never heard of Capoeira and would like to see it performed. Must be good for getting some exercise also, just being active instead of being a couch potato. Life is all about timing, evidently. You were at the right place at the right time, Duta!

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    1. Brazil is the motherland of the authentic capoeira.
      Capoeira was created by african slaves in Brazil to hide their fugitive intentions from their oppressors.

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  18. Capoeira? I will have to look this up. Sounds fascinating. We came upon a group in the park doing soemthing similar, and we pulled over and watched for a while. Any reason to get exercise!

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    1. I suppose it has similarities with other street/ park dances such as 'break dance' and 'hip hop'. Capoeira, however,has some fighting moves.

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  19. I must admit I also don't know about capoeira, but its a great post to read how you came across the boys engaged in what sounds like a street "dance" of some sorts?!! Glad to hear about the family part and agree that about kids doing things that engage with others in heartwarming and peaceful ways rather than always looking at a screen with who knows what on it!! Thanks for sharing!! Blessings!.

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    1. Luckily, nowadays we can learn about anything we don't know with the help of..Google. It opens our minds and widens our horizon.
      I often find myself looking up words/concepts on Google and becoming aware of how little I know about the world.

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  20. Sometimes the unexpected delights happen and that was certainly the case here, Duta.

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    1. unexpected delight - that's an accurate definition of that little street performance.

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  21. Wow,
    You are very fortunate to be able to see firsthand the performance of Capoiera art, typical art from Brazil ...

    So far I only had the opportunity to watch the attraction from the television screen.

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    1. I suppose capoeira is taught and performed in your country too. Just look them up on the web; there must be studios both for kids and adults in the main cities.

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    2. In my country there are capoiera studio studios, but only in big cities.

      In a small town, there isn't yet.

      This dance and martial arts is unique ... I like it very much.

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    3. Well, it's the same here - in the main, big cities.
      Yes, capoeira is greatly liked by both young and adults, and rightly so.

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