i did it. i finally did it. after seeing a boy i babysat attend a capoeira class, i decided to realize my dream of giving
capoeira a shot. it was kind of serendipitous, because it happens to be a month in which
capoeira mandinga, the capoeira school on piedmont avenue near my apartment is giving FREE introductory class every sunday.
i am super sore today (like unbelievably sore), but i had SO MUCH FUN, and i can't wait to go back next sunday. i plan to continue with the intro for the rest of the month and enroll in the beginner's class starting november. right now, i spend too much time thinking hard to coordinate my lower limbs with my upper limbs, while trying not to get off of the beats of the accompanying music. i hope one day i can internalize the rhythm and for my body to naturally move with graceful force and finesse!
i've always been interested in capoeira because of its revolutionary history (see the capoeira link above for the abridged history on wikipedia) in brazil. it began during the slavery era of brazil, as a means for enslaved people of the african descent to secretly train themselves to fight against the system. since all forms of "fighting" was prohibited for the slaves during that time, they had to disguise the combat training into "dance," and gave various forms and moves playful names so that they won't be caught. it is really a powerful and beautiful form of martial art, and i love that the music (in particular, participatory singing) is a core part of capoeira. i look forward learning more about this amazing art.
come join me this sunday if you want to give this wonderful culmination of dance, music, and martial art a try!
