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Capoeira

On Saturday I got to see a batizado put on by the Capoeira Arts group in Berkeley. If you have never seen people playing capoeira, you should make an effort to go see it at least once. It is a form of Brazilian martial arts that was originated when the African slaves were not allowed to practice martial arts, so they practiced under the guise of dancing. This not only led to a really interesting style to watch, full of spins and interesting acrobatics all performed with a sense of rhythm, but also a culture of music and singing and a performance aspect to it that is really neat to see. The energy at a batizado, which is the celebration where the students get their new belts, which I think is usually only done once a year at a school, is incredible, though. Mestres from other schools and other parts of the world come to participate, students from around the area come to see, and lots of spectators show up. It is really infectious, and makes me think about trying it out for a while (although preferable somewhere closer to home).

And in something unrelated but discovered while looking for these links, the Capoeira Arts Cafe may have art done by someone I knew in middle school. Weird.