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Our Class, The
Clockwise from top: Tarzan, Surge, Isabelle, Tanja, Zero Zero, Tatiana, Tucson
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Classes *Click link on sidebar for class schedule!
From left: Tanja's Friend, Ellis, Mestre Corisco, Ellis' Friend, Tanja. I tripped and fell in front of everyone right before they took the picture. I didn't realize how badly I fell! Ouch! (Kidding!) We have classes at Columbia University and outside in Manhattan and Philadelphia. Check the class schedule page (Link to the left. No, the other left) for the times. Classes are $10 each in New York and $12 in Philly. Payment is different (and cheaper) for Columbia-affiliated people.
Clockwise from Tanja, upside down: Tanja (Sorisso), Tanja's Friend, Ellis, Mestre Corisco, Ellis' Friend, Zero Zero. If you are affiliated with Columbia University, ask about the capoeira club. So between the Tuesday class and the Thursday class at Columbia, we have classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, like EVERYONE ELSE IN THE CAPOEIRA WORLD! (Your class is then, isn't it? I knew it! That's, like, the Universal Capoeira Class Time. Has anyone else noticed that? Can I get a witness!) CLASSES ARE TOTALLY OPEN, WHICH MEANS IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT CAPOEIRA IS, YOU CAN COME. IF YOU'RE SCARED, YOU CAN COME. IF YOU'RE OUT OF SHAPE, YOU CAN COME. IF YOU'RE HUMAN, GUESS WHAT? YOU CAN COME! THE ONLY REASON YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS WOULD BE IF YOU'RE NOT A HUMAN OR PRIMATE, OR YOU HAVE ONE OR MORE LIMBS MISSING OR NOT FUNCTIONING, IN WHICH CASE, YOU COULD STILL COME AND WATCH AND SING WITH US. So, don't ask if you can come. Whew! About Us
On the night when I brought in the cake I made for Delphine's birthday (we're just that kinda group :), I was watching class instead of participating because of my #%@$*^!ing bunion, when I realized I had forgotten to bring a knife to cut the cake. I went and got a huge one and put it on top of the box containing the cake. Doutor walked over and picked up the knife while the roda was going on. Before anyone knew what happened, he had entered the roda and was playing with the master with the knife in his hand! He did everything he would have done without a knife, such as backflips and cartwheels, and he waved the knife back and forth at the master while everyone else just looked on in horror. Luckily, no one was hurt, but don't try that one at home! (Or anywhere else for that matter, Goodness!) One time Doutor did get hurt when he got kicked in the hand in the roda. Since a staff member at BDC was watching the class, he saw the kick and went to get some ice. When he returned, the game had ended and he handed the bag of ice to Doutor, who was still in pain. Doutor thanked him, opened the bag, and proceeded to eat some ice, then he offered some to all of us. We finished the whole thing. When a student named Julie had to leave us to move back to France, she took her final class with us, and at the end of the roda she sang a song she wrote and played the berimbau (quite beautiful it was, aye). Then she told everyone how she would miss us, and broke down crying as she told Doutor what a great teacher he is and how he put capoeira in her heart. Then I said, "Me too," as I burst into tears, then Doutor didn't know what to do, then Julie lost her contact and everybody started laughing.
From left: Peter Pan on his cell, Jeromin, Zero Zero This past summer, we had a particularly crowded class (that's the way uh huh uh huh I like it uh huh uh huh), and Jeromin (yay!) was teaching us. We usually practice a bunch of different movements in a single file line across the floor, and Doutor had the brilliant idea of having Jeromin get on his hands and knees so that everyone could go into a handstand and fall into a bridge over him. So,one by one we did, laughing all the way (ho ho ho bells on bobtails...sorry), until we came to the last guy, who was about 6' 3" and 230lbs! We were all making comments and giggling and pitying Jeromin as the guy promised to be careful. Then Jeromin got up on his knees and did a huge sign of the cross and prayed. We watched in anticipation as the big guy barreled toward Jeromin and flipped over him making a crash as his feet hit the floor. He did make contact with Jeromin, but didn't leave a mark.
One Sunday after class, Capixaba was on the phone with customer service for the bank. As is the case with these types of calls, he had to say his problem to about 50 different people like 55 times as we all waited for him to come downstairs with us. Of course he was also put on hold indefinitely about a thousand times, and after about the 10th time, since we were all talking about how much we hated being in his situation, he said to us, "And you know what the worst part is, when they put you on hold and make you listen to Oprah. I hate Oprah!" I thought for a moment, then said, "You mean opera?" "Right, same thing." I love my class. One time at Columbia when I was playing in the roda with Doutor, I miraculously hit him with an au batido! I gloated and made silly expressions (you have to be there) while Doutor laughed, then we started playing again. I got him again with another au batido (!) and we all laughed again, then I got out of there before he whooped me. I thought it was all fun and games, and that it had been forgotten, but the next week in class, we were practicing walking in handstands, and since I'm not good at that, Doutor came over to "spot" me. He held my ankles while I tried to walk, but then he wouldn't let go. He reminded me of the au batidos and taunted me while all the blood rushed to my head and I begged for mercy. When I was about to collapse he let go and I crumpled to the floor laughing with relief. Wait till I get him in the roda again... I'll...I'll...I'll run away. :) I want to ask Juan-Antonio for a first hand account of this, because I love this story, but Delphine told me recently that Juan-Antonio was walking through a bad neighborhood, got threatened by this guy, used a queixada on him, and the guy ran away! Can't you just imagine? That's AWESOME! :) Taking a bite outta crime with capoeira! You thugs betta watch out Mmmm hmmmm! We were practicing kicking really hard in class one time with chapa cruzada and people taking turns holding the padding that lets someone kick you without you getting hurt. I had just watched an episode of "Oprah Winfrey" (will you forgive me just this once? I can't help it it's this damn estrogen, it makes me do things I don't want to do!) about rape and how to fight off an attempted sexual assault (you know all that NO!(heel of the hand to the nose, CRUNCH) NO! (kick to the groin) NO! (knee to the head)), and since I was holding the padding while Leve kicked it, I said, "Come on, pretend I'm the rapist!" to make him kick harder. Everyone was like, "What?" Then I was like, "You know, when they do those self defense classes? Leve, come on, if I were trying to rape you, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!?!" He simply replied, "I would let you." Well then, in that case I think I'll just stick to hugs. Ahem. This story came to me as I was meditating in a past life on the tranquil shores of the river Tiber. Well, actually a guy named Josh emailed it to me. But that's our little secret. Now I'm totally not trying to be obnoxious, but I did do a tiny bit of editing for spelling and grammar, just because mistakes in those areas drive me nuts. Josh seemed quite intelligent and even corrected me in my historical knowledge of capoeira, and I'm sure it was just a few slips of the finger that kept the g's off some gerunds of his. P.S. When I grow up, I'm starting the International Association of Advocates of the Correct Usage of English Grammar. IAACUEG for short, which will stop all usage of adjectives in the proper place of ADVERBS!!!!!!! Anyway, here's Josh's grammatically correct story: One time [Doutor] had this kid in his class who was a total beginner. he was a Japanese tourist who spoke very minimal English, so of course his communication with Doutor was very limited. As Doutor is so physically charismatic, it didn't matter, and this kid was also one of those athletic types who, even though he didn't know beans about capoeira, could jump, spin, and throw these crazy kicks. In the roda, Doutor can actually turn this into a game (part of his immense talent). So this kid is doing crazy stuff and Doutor is playing with him, when he gets the kid in some sort of grabbing takedown. The kid locks his body up, so Doutor's sort of holding him on his knees, and the kid has locked his legs around Doutor's arms so he can't let go. All in good fun of course, Doutor bends down and just takes a big chomp out of the kid's side, and the kid lets go. Very Funny. Thanks Josh! This summer, Molly invited us all to a rooftop party downtown to play capoeira for the guests, so after a Friday class, we got on the subway to travel miles and miles down to the party. This story has so many cool things in it, let me try to remember them all. Ok. So first, we walked from the class at Teacher's College to the subway station at Columbia University. Once there, we realised that we had forgotten some instruments. (Classic.) So we sent Bicicleta on his bicicleta to get them. While waiting about twenty minutes for him to make the treacherous, 8 block journey, an Asian kid and his dad walked out of the subway station and realised we were capoeiristas, and explained in Portuguese to Mestre Bandeira that he too played capoeira in Brasil! During all this waiting, we were being rowdy, and Delphine, who had tired of our antics, decided to walk a little downtown, get some groceries, and go home without us. Bicicleta finally returned, worn and tattered from his trek, and off we went down onto the platform. As we waited for the 1and 9 trains to come in, we began to play music. Then, of course, Jeromin and Bicicleta decided to defy death and play regional on the platform. Soon the train came in, and I must say, to see the blur of flying feet against a backdrop of racing train is quite a cool experience indeed. They stopped playing in time to get on the train with the rest of us, and we descended upon a section of the car, scattered among innocent passengers. After a few seconds, we began to play the instruments and Mestre Bandeira began to sing in his booming, strong voice. We all chimed in for the chorus, and I never realised how much noise we made until we were cooped up in a subway car. We played some samba and Molly danced. When the train stopped at the next stop, 110th St., the people sandwiched between us moved so as not to have their eardrums broken, and we all sat together. Then, guess who got on the train! None other than DELPHINE! As soon as she saw us, she shielded her eyes and tried to get off, but we pulled her on and greeted her, and made her sing along. God it was funny. Anyway we continued to play, and as one guy got off the train he showed his deep appreciation of the music, (no, seriously). Somewhere around 50th street, two policemen boarded our car and promptly told us to stop. Ugh! Can you believe that? Anyway the rest of the trip was quiet, until we got back off the train. Once on the street, we started to play capoeira while going to our destination, and we sang and played to accompany those playing. Then we finally got to the building. As we went up the flights and flights and flights of stairs, Jeromin played the pandeiro louder and louder, until every two seconds it went *BANG* and he said, "SOMEBODY GOT SHOT!" Then when we got to the top of the stairs, someone was like, "You have to be quiet, we have babies sleeping here." So then we got on the roof and it was so beautiful and we started to play with a band made of a berimbau, a pandeiro, and like 5 different kinds of South American and African instruments. The band sounded great and it was funny how the Spanish speaking bandmates only understood what Mestre Bandeira said in Portuguese about music, and the rest of the time were like, "Huh?" Anyway, we had a great time even though the trip there was funnier than the time we spent at the actual party. It was a night to remember! *More stories to come as they happen. |
Our teacher is named Dooter,
Profesor Doutor, Santos , Adenilson, and most often, Doutor. He has a yellow,
green and blue belt and is the best teacher in the world! (But Profesora
Jo is SO COOL it's ridiculous!) He got his nickname of doctor because he
was a nurse in Brazil. How cute is that? He always makes class interesting
and fun. There are too many funny stories from class for me to remember them
all, but here are a few.
One of A.S.C.A.B.'s
mestres, Mestre Corisco, (yeah, only one name besides his real one) who is
Mestre Bandeira's Mestre, who is Doutor's Mestre, came all the way from Brazil
to teach us for four months, which is one of many reasons why he's the coolest
Mestre in the world. (However I think Mestre Lobao's the most adorable.
I LOVE LOBAO!!!! Now if only I actually knew him... oh and I also love Mestre
Deraldo (great hugs and smile), and Mestra Lima (so cool and so nice!), and
I bet Mestra Sonia is pretty darn cool, and Mestre Beck has a great singing
voice, and Mestre Marcelo seems cool, and he has an ADORABLE son, oh golly
gosh, I love them all! How can you not?) ANYWAY, although many of us don't
speak Brazilian Portuguese and he doesn't speak much English, Mestre is like
a father to us. He's the kind of guy that you can catch eyes with and just
smile and smile and smile, and even though I don't speak Portuguese, (I'm
learning!), when what he says really matters, I know exactly what he's talking
about. Mestre Corisco has a magical quality about him, and that's what I
think makes him able to get along here without speaking the language. (Of
course he also stayed with a bilingual guy in our class but don't poop
on my parade people!) When we went to Philadelphia, we all met in the bus
station, and after we bought our tickets, the master wandered off, IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NEW YORK CITY PORT AUTHORITY!!! We had no idea how we were
going to find him, but we split up and looked anyway. We met up again, and
no one had found him. Then I looked up to see the master strolling up the
stairs from a lower level with a donut and coffee in his hands, enjoying
a leisurely breakfast. We all had to laugh.