Ben's Blog

My first Batizado, my first Capoeira Belt!

 
Last year, at a loss for what to do on a Monday night, I decided to give this thing called Capoeira a try. Did a search and found Acer Capoeira. I knew little about it, other than it was a Brazilian marshal art, that's part fight, part dance, part music. After the lesson, my body ached all over, but it was a good pain, I'd really enjoyed myself and decided to stick with it.

Time flies and ...boom, it's been 10 months. Last Saturday was the Batizado, my first ever grading. I passed and was awarded my belt. I am so proud of myself and fellow Capoeiristas who shared the day with me.  It was the first time in my life that I really worked to achieve something. I would not call it hard work, it was too enjoyable, even with the blisters, bruises and sprains.

We continued the party at a local pub in South Wimbledon, where we had an unplanned Roda and Maculele. I'm not exaggerating in saying that it was one of the most enjoyable moments of my life. Myself, forming a part of the circle, looking around, in that candle lit pub, seeing my friends, my chosen family, feeling, contributing and connecting to the growing energy of the Roda. It was amazing to be a part of something so special, so energizing, so lucid.

After it was over I spoke to a friend saying how special it felt, she turned to me and said with a smile on her face, "Yes, it makes you feel alive doesn't it?". I couldn't put it better.

Singing, Dancing and Camping: The Key To A Long Life

Brian Eno has just written a great article about the joy of singing. Capoeira came to my mind while reading it.

At the heart of Capoeira is the Roda and a key part of that is the music. The Roda is a circle of people, with two people competing in the middle and everyone else singing and clapping in time around them. The music gives the fighters strength, they aim to make their moves in tune to the rhythm of the song. It's uplifting feeling a part of something like this.

Brian sums up the way I feel about Capeira  songs and the Roda:

When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.

You can read the full article here

Capoeira [NOT] canceled tonight

UPDATE: It's back on again! Prof Rodrigo has managed to find a better venue. Details can be found here at  Acer Capoira.

My first capoeira class was on a Monday in Wimbledon. Sadly, Monday nights in Wimbledon is no more, the sports club no longer wants us there, I am not sure of the details, but I think it was due to too many non members attending and not enough gym members taking advantage of the session.

Capoeira Blisters

I spent yesterday evening on Tooting Bec common, enjoying my ninth ever Capoeira class. It is a welcome antidote to sitting in an office all day, where the only exercise is getting up from the desk to buy a packet of crisps from the vending machine. Recently I've tried to stop and question the vending machine trips, in reality they a ritual out of boredom rather than famine. I've turned my attention to multiple cups of green tea a day as a substitute, but I'm digressing, back to Capoeira.

Capoeira and Food

Yesterday, was a fairly productive day. I went for a run along the Thames, then in the afternoon headed to my third ever Capoeira class. The first lesson was two weeks ago, it left me on a high, days afterwards my body just ached all over. The Brazilian marshal art is part fight, part dance, part game, part philosophy. Whenever you train, there's always Capoeira music that accompanies the practise. The music gives you strength, it has a rhythm that you can move to, it's very motivational. I've included one of the songs with this post.