Strange word on the title, huh? I had some troubles spelling and pronouncing it in the beginning myself. So what is it? Well, it's the Portugeuse name of a well-known Brazilian martial arts, and its history goes back to the period of slavery, where slaves diguised this martial arts in the form of dance.
It's beautiful, it's graceful, it's rhythmic to the music...and it kicks ass when you master it. I went for a free test hour at a capoeira club today close to home, and though it was intense, it was also GREAT FUN! I'm definitely going back there again!
I'm not looking forward to an aching body in the next couple of days, but it would be worth it. I don't know how much I will learn, especially all the cartwheels and flipping moves etc, since I'm not that flexible...but capoeira is not really about "breakdancing" anyway.
It's about listening and following the music, and about keeping eye contact with your partner...according to the Mestre today. Well, I can certainly do those... .
Anyway, here's a bit more history about capoeira. And in case you're wondering why my sudden interest in this, there are actually many reasons, but the main ones are:
1. Martin started watching the movie "Only the Strong".
2. My swimming membership expired last week, so I was open for something new.
3. I love music and dancing...so adding a fluid full body martial arts to it is a very, VERY nice bonus.
I leave you now with an idea of how capoeira is done:
Now tell me if that's not the one of the most graceful martial arts you have ever seen? I guess I have to work hard on it if I want to be a capoeirista like her... . Well, as with all things you want to be good at, time and practice is the key.
