Capoeira Mandinga Shanghai

Hello camaras,

Due to the Chinese New Year, the gym will be closed from Saturday 13th until Friday 19th of February. Last class before the CNY will be on Thursday 11th and first class after the holidays will be on Saturday 20th.

Dear all,

Capoeira Mandinga Shanghai Batizado 2009 has been a great success!
Special thanks to all our guests and students who have contributed to such a massive event.
Photos and videos of the event will be published soon.

Due to the October holidays the gym will be closed from the 1st to the 6th of October.
Regular classes will start again on Wednesday 7th.

Axé!

Unfortunately we have to announce the cancellation of the Brazil trip we were planning to have for July of this year. Due to this international crisis we are starting to notice a very low number of enrolment of people in all kinds of capoeira event. The capoeirando in Ilheus which normaly holds around 500 people this year had only 60! Considering that many of the participants of our event would be coming from USA, Europe and Asia (which are the most financially affected areas) and based on the response we have had up until now we think that canceling it is the best to to at the moment.

I apologise for the people that were already commited and want to tell you that if you are still planning to go ahead with your trip plans I will help you to connect with other events that will be happening in Brazil around that time.

On the other hand I am seriousely studing the possibility doing a small encounter at the California Brazil Camp in Cazadero this year and am already announcing an event that will take place in Ubatuba Brazil next year the weekend after carnival of 2010. That will be a music, dance and capoeira master camp. More info. Will be posted here in time.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Mestre Marcelo

“Beetle” tells the “true story” of Besouro, a Capoeira master living in 1920s Brazil. The film’s title comes from the name Besouro Manganga, which is a large and dark species of maybug.

According to legends surrounding the historical figure, Besouro was known to vanish whenever he was faced with an uneven fight. This grew into the myth that Besouro had supernatural powers and could dodge bullets and even turn himself into a beetle to scare his opponents.

More grounded details on Besouro suggest he was a rebellious migrant worker who frequently used his Capoeira skills to get into physical conflicts with landowners and police. He died in 1924 at the age of 27 after suffering stab wounds from a knife.

Ku Huan-chiu serves as action director. His credits include stunt doubling for Jet Li in “The Tai-Chi Master” and “Once upon a time in China and America”, as well as recent AD work on CJ7 and “THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR”, and also “Kill Bill”.

“Beetle”, a co-production between Buena Vista and Brazil’s Mixer and Globo Filmes is currently shooting.

For more details on Besouro Manganga visit Capoeira Sul Da Bahia San Francisco.

• “Besouro” official website (Portuguese)
• Official channel on YouTube

via kungfucinema and capoeira.com

“Capoeira Headlines” is a pilot project aiming in collecting the most interesting news from the world of Capoeira (and sometimes Brazil). The news would be published here on a monthly basis.

Please feel free to send any interesting links you found to us!

Today’s headlines:

• In Blood: The Bacchae, Arcola Theatre, London
• Capoeira: Everything in motion
• 6th Annual Women’s Encounter
• Looking Ahead to 2009 – Cautious Optimism in Brazil

Read the rest of this entry »

SALVADOR, Brazil, Jan 8 (IPS) – Millions of Brazilians usher in the new year by wading into the sea, dressed in white, scattering flowers on the water as an offering to the Afro-Brazilian deity Iemanjá, in return for her blessings for the year to come. But few of them realise that this tradition is rooted in a religion fighting for survival in the face of prejudice, racism and intolerance.

Mae Jaciara prepares typical Candomblé meal

Jaciara Ribeiro dos Santos symbolises the counterattack launched by practitioners of Candomblé and other African-based religions, which have survived centuries of repression only to confront a new wave of attacks by fundamentalist Protestant churches.

Jaciara’s mother, Gildasia dos Santos, was better known as Mae Gilda (Mother Gilda) in her role as a “ialorixá” or Candomblé priestess. She lived in Salvador, capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, home to the country’s largest population of African descendants.

In September 1999, Mae Gilda saw her photograph printed in the Folha Universal, a daily newspaper published by the “neo-Pentecostal” Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, under a headline accusing her of being a “charlatan” and of endangering the “lives and wallets” of her followers.

Jaciara is convinced that her mother’s death by a heart attack several months later, at the age of 65, was a direct result of the psychological trauma caused by the slanderous attack.

The case drew widespread publicity, and January 21, the date of Mae Gilda’s death, was designated as the National Day Against Religious Intolerance, through a presidential decree adopted two years ago. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a list of all quotes on Capoeira Mandinga Shanghai’s website:

Capoeira is for men, women and children; the only ones who don’t learn it are those are those who don’t wish to.

– Mestre Pastinha

Eu sou discipulo que aprende, [I am a student that learns,]
E mestre que da licao. [And a master who teaches.]

– Old capoeira song

The flame of this beautiful art is now in your hands. You can dampen it, you can burn yourself or your brothers and sisters, or, afraid of its heat, you can let go of it. I hope that you take good care of your capoeira and kindle this fire alive and powerful, enlightening your life.

– Mestre Accordeon

We need to be in the actual life, the real life, because capoeira is fundamentally about the roda of life.

– Mestre Gato

My message is that they have to embrace capoeira with all their hearts because capoeira has a lot to offer to the people who dedicate themselves. The more you devote to capoeira, the more capoeira will return to you.

– Mestre Paulo

More Capoeira Quotes. Feel free to add your quote!

The elderly who exercised or gathered at the Temple of Heaven were captivated by two foreign men who one day appeared and performed some kind of street dance. The old people were curious about the movements. Later, they were taught to play strange musical instruments to accompany the dance.

This was a scene that appeared in a program produced by SexyBeijing.tv, an Internet TV station that focuses on Beijing life. Jamel Mims and Leroy Philpotts were the men on the show, doing Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense maneuvers and is now finding a following in Beijing. Read the rest of this entry »

Much thanks to Chupateta for making this a real website.  His only request now is that we really start to use it.  I have a few ideas about articles, but if you would like me or Diego to write about a topic, please let us know.

Lagartixa

The first Capoeira Mandinga group in China!

Join a class

Composed by a dynamic group of capoeira enthusiasts from all over the globe. Within our group there are different levels of capoeira, so beginners are always welcome, as well as everyone else! Classes are held weeknights and Saturday afternoon.

Performances

Weather permitting, CMS holds open rodas in Zhongshan Park. Additionally, we hold more formal performances upon request. If you would like to have us perform at your event, please visit the events page. For a full list of past and future events, please visit the Events page.

Batizado

On September 19th-21st, CMS successfully held China’s first Batizado. CMS is excited about the success of this event. We would like to thank the visiting Instrutors, Contra Mestres and Mestre Marcelo. Contratulations to all the Capoeiristas who were baptized and received their Cordao. Last but not least, thanks to our sponsors, without which this event could not have happened. Don’t forget for check out videos and photos from this event!

Read more about our group!