Axé Maryland News

One of my favorite Mestre Barrão's songs describing the loss and longing when Mestre Leopoldina, a famous Capoeira Master, passed away. Mestre Leopoldina was also one of the historical figures of Capoeira and was famous for his malandragem (trickeries). It is said that he had been once the foreman of the King Zumbi of Quilombo dos Palmares, one of the most famous runaway slaves' settlements in Brazil.

Below is an excerpt of the song (click the link for the full song):

There are many traditional and contemporary rhythms of the berimbau that exist, and each Capoeira school uses particular rhythms for their own training purposes. Though many of the same rhythms are used by different Capoeira schools, the names, rhythm speeds, and game styles of the rhythms vary by school. Common rhythms trained in Capoeira schools are Angola, Benguela/Banguela, Regional de Bimba (São Bento Grande de Bimba), and São Bento Grande de Angola. This article will focus on Benguela and Regional games as practiced by our Grupo.

Note that most of the groups called “regional” today are actually much closer to contemporânea than to Mestre Bimba’s original capoeira regional (which used a very particular and specific teaching method).

Below are some sequences that we normally practice in Axé Capoeira Maryland classes. Students will be taught the building blocks in order to make the movements feel natural to them, and will be kept challenged past their perceived limits.

Paired sequence drill is a good way to train techniques as it allows you to apply what you have learned in a controlled setting. In class, usually we start the drill with something relatively simple, and as the class progresses, we add more and more to the sequence. To illustrate this, follow the link below and view where the first drill builds up to the second.

Happy New Year 2015 from Axé Capoeira Maryland crews!

Here at Axé Maryland, we ended the year with a bang: our first workshop with Professor Bambu at our new location (Jing Ying Academy). Lots of folk ask me what Capoeira is, and I thought I'd posted an official video that was created by the Brazilian government as part of their application to UNESCO to make Capoeira as a cultural heritage of mankind (see the video in the article itself). Below is the Google definition of Capoeira, but I encourage you to see the official video and get a glimpse of what Capoeira is. Salve!

ca·po·ei·ra

kapo͝oˈārə / noun

a system of physical discipline and movement originating among Brazilian slaves, treated as a martial art and dance form.

This is a very beautiful song by Mestre Barrão, telling the story about being taken from one's homeland (Angola), and the longing for it. This is one of the songs I can relate to as it takes me back to the memory and longing of my own home country, Indonesia. The song also talks about setting oneself free after being enslaved. Nowadays, one is enslaved by the materials of this world, be it career, house, properties, cars, computers etc. More often than not, these keep us from realizing that there are so many unfortunate people without houses, or even basic needs in the world (even surrounding us). This is why I love this song, as singing it always remind me to "free" myself from these attachment and keep in contact with families and friends abroad, longing and wondering if one day I can go back there again.