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Introducing... a new name, a new partnership!

7/28/2017

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In Association with Luanda Brasil Capoeira

We are so excited to announce our association and friendship with Luanda Brasil Capoeira.  This group is led by Mestrando Camundongo (Felipe Moreira) and Mestre Kuke out of São Paulo, Brazil.  

Instrutor Coruja met Mestrando Camundongo 11 years ago when he was doing volunteer work with homeless children around the city of São Paulo.  He trained with him for the few months that he was there and they have remained in contact with each other over the years.  Mestrando Camundongo is a physical therapist with a specialty in functional training and has over 20 years of experience in Capoeira.  One of his main philosophies for his capoeira academy is "students first"- the experience of each student is the most important thing.

By partnering with Luanda Brasil Capoeira, we will be able to continue to provide our own instructors with mentoring and a high level training to better grow our academy.  In this way, we will be able to continue as students of capoeira in order to continue developing as great teachers. However, most importantly, having a partnership with an academy outside of our own (and outside of our location), will help us all to maintain and develop a broader and deeper view and understanding of capoeira.

We are looking forward to hosting Mestrando Camundongo for our summer workshops and batizado!

Introducing Capoeira Floração 

Picture
At Minnesota Capoeira Academy (the name of our brick and mortar location), we have chosen the name Capoeira Floração for our group.  Floração translates to "the period or season of flowering or blooming".  We wanted our new name to express our hopes for our students and our capoeira academy: that our new era as our own group would enable everyone to "bloom", so to speak- to become their very best, feel their very best, and have their best time doing capoeira.  It is a new time for us, and an exciting one; we can't wait to see how each of you grow, how our community and capoeira family grows, and how we grow capoeira here in Minnesota to be a life changing experience that is inclusive and accessible to all.

You may also have noticed our new logo!  
​
Keeping along with our theme of growth- we centered our logo with a tree.  We chose to include the roots in our logo as well- even though we are growing and branching out, we always want to remember our roots in capoeira and where we came from.  That has given us a solid base to grow from.  The words "comunidade", "familia", and "cultura" are written along the bottom- these three things we also believe are at the foundation of what we do- they are what we value, what holds us up, and what we want to continue to grow.

Thank you Garnise (Rodrigo Lopez) for drawing and designing with Coruja and Vespa.

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July Focus- Youth and Adult

7/4/2017

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Youth

Theme: humility/humildade

Moves:
Group A: cocarinha, negativa, role

Group B:​ sit down in negative, role, macaco

Song: A Palma de Bimba... kids need to know the response, which is, "E um, dois tres" (it's one, two, three).  See below for more information about this song.

Adults

Song: A Palma de Bimba

Portuguese

A palma estava errada
bimba parou outra vez
bata esta palma direito
a palma de bimba e um dois tres
olha a palma de bimba


E Um Dois Tres

olha a palma de Bimba

E Um Dois Tres

se voce e devoto de bimba
na roda ele vai lhe ajudar
mas se nao e sai correndo
que a roda ta aberta e o bicho vai pegar

e a palma de bimba

E Um Dois Tres

e a palma de bimba

E Um Dois Tres

a quadra estava errada
bimba parou outra vez
cante esta quadra direito
a palma de bimba e um dois tres
olha a palma de bimba


E Um Dois Tres

a iuna estava errada
bimba falou outra vez
nao matrate esta ave moleque
e a palma de bimba e um dois tres
olha a palma de bimba


E Um Dois Tres
a ginga estava errada
bimba parou outra vez
o ginga bonito moleque
e a palma de bimba e um dois tres
olha a palma de bimba


E Um Dois Tres

English

The claps were wrong
Bimba stopped again
hit those claps right
The claps of Bimba is one two three
look, the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three
​
look the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three

If you are a follower of Bimba
In the roda he will help you
but if not and you rush in
the roda is open and someone will catch you
and the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three

look the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three

The quadra was wrong
Bimba stopped again
sing this quadra right
The claps of Bimba is one two three
look the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three

The Iuna ​​was wrong
Bimba spoke again
Boy don’t mistreat this bird
The claps of Bimba is one two three
look the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three

The Ginga was wrong
Bimba stopped again
Ginga well, boy
The claps of Bimba is one two three
look the claps of Bimba

It’s  One Two Three
Some notes on the song:
  • Bimba of course refers to Mestre Bimba, the creator of Capoeira Regional (the style we do).  The clapping is said to be from Bimba in this song because he developed the music and bateria in regional so that we clap on the first, second, and third beats.  
  • Quadra- a song with 4 lines for the calls... like this song.
  • Iuna- a capoeira game played by graduated students and above, which is medium-paced and graceful- floreios and flow with the partner are showcased.  Iuna has it's own berimbau toque.  Iuna is also a bird- it is said that the toque mimics the sound of the bird call.
  • "o bicho vai pegar"/"someone will catch you"- this literally translates into the bug will hit/sting you. 

Training Focus: Santa Maria

author: Coruja

A toque used for the not often seen 'money', game where the players try to pick up a coin purse placed in the center of the roda with their mouths.  In addition to the picking up of money people are also known to use items like caixixis.  This was also a rhythm played for people to play a game where they would place a ‘navalha’ (knife) between their toes while playing.   
This jogo (game) has a different feel than other capoeira rhythms like Benguela or Sao Bento Grande de Bimba because you are trying to win by picking something up.  This jogo has an end where Benguela and Sao Bento do not necessarily.  That being said it is important to remember when playing this game that there is more to winning than just picking up the item.  If you watch the video linked above you see that the two players are moving withTONS of expression.  When you play this game part of it is to also try and use as much expression in your movements to throw off your partner so you can sneak around them to get to the item.  You also see the two players stopping each other by blocking each other with their feet or head.  There is even one point where you see the one person use his head to hold the others head on the ground so he can’t pick up the caixixi… pretty crazy move if you ask me, but in this you can see that they are playing a very specific way.  They aren’t striking each other, like you see in Benguela or Sao Bento, but rather they are trying to utilize their kicks and movement to inspire the other player to move a certain way to create an opening for going in for the item.  This is an extremely helpful way to think about training and playing because it transfers to how you would play during Angola, Benguela, or Sao Bento in that you would be, if you want, connecting those kicks instead of just using them to inspire a reaction.  
The jogo de Santa Maria is helpful to understand and be able to play because it teaches you how to play with a goal in mind, but also teaches you how to occupy another person’s space to make them move where you want them to.  Vice versa, it also teaches you how to react appropriately when you are being challenged by someone who is trying to crowd you or make you move where they want you to go.  It teaches you to be mindful of your entire surroundings because if you get too focussed on just going after the item you wind up with a foot in your face.  In order to play a good Santa Maria game you have to be able to play with a goal, but not lose sight of the bigger picture, which is to have a coherent/connected game with your partner.
Another phrase used to describe this type of playing is “jogo de dentro” (game of inside or playing on the inside).  What this describes is how the two players never move away from each other, but are always trying to move through the other or around while staying as close as possible.  If you pay attention to the video you can see that the two players are never more than a couple inches away from each other at any given time.    

The melody imitates the corrido Santa Maria, Mãe de Deus. The corrido Apanha Laranja no Chão Tico Tico (não leva com mão, só com pé ou com bico) gives general rule for the game: use your mouth and feet, not your hands.

Song with other lyrics:
Apanha laranja no chao tico tico
Se meu amor for si embora eu nao fico
Apanha com a mao ou com pe ou com bico
translation:
grab the orange from the ground tico tico (tico is the sound of the berimbau)
if my love went away I will not stay.
Grab it with your hand or your foot or your mouth

​Below is an example of a Santa Maria game (Abada Capoeira, Mestre Camisa)
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A Big Announcement

7/4/2017

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We have a BIG announcement to make… effective immediately, our capoeira academy has decided to branch off and form it’s own academy!  We will no longer be known as “Omulu Capoeira” as we have chosen to no longer affiliate with that organization.  Instead, we will be known as the Minnesota Capoeira Academy.  If you do have a question, comment, concern, feedback… please reach out to us!
 
Simply put, there was too wide a difference between the culture that was part of our previous group and the values that we want to uphold in a family-oriented organization that is inclusive to and respectful of all.   We have nothing but the utmost respect for our previous group.  However, we truly believe that capoeira has so much to offer to so many people.  We know from our students’ stories that it has literally changed your lives for the better, and this is the fuel behind everything we do to build the school.  We know that capoeira holds many keys to physical and mental health, emotional happiness, and provides the foundation to a positive community of people that support each other- essentially a family.  Therefore, we decided that for us to grow as a group, and have a healthy relationship to capoeira that allows us to build on our values for building a positive community, it was best for us to go down our own path.
 
We are very excited about taking this big step!  We know that it is going to help us to continue to grow our big, happy capoeira family even more.  We appreciate all of your support so much!  Please reach out if you have any questions.  See you all in the roda =)
 
-Coruja and Vespa
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June- Kids Focus

7/4/2017

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Kids Theme
Paciência / Patience

Kids Group A
  • Martelo
Kids Group B
  • Armada
​
Song of the month:
vai você
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    Author

    Vespa

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