International Capoeira Angola Foundation – New York

It was our great fortune to have two wonderful visits from a duo of amazing mestres within one season. This has been a spring for mestres in New York. It is a rarity that we are able to enjoy Mestre Cobra Mansa’s presence in NYC and so it was to our great delight that he had space to do a couple of workshops with us during his most recent stateside journey. Not long after, our mestre, Jurandir Nascimento, paid us a visit. In the midst of his tour to see and support the FICA groups of the U.S., he was able to spend a week here, educating and connecting.

Although we are always proud of the work we do here at FICA NY, there is nothing to compare to a mestre’s understanding and vision. A number of visitors came from groups throughout the city and it was engaging to have such a variety of energies and perspectives in the room. In addition, I think it is enlightening for our larger community to be exposed to the array of ways in which Capoeira Angola can manifest itself.

Mestre Cobrinha took us through an intensive session and brought us back to the basics from so many different angles. As well, there’s always the pleasure of mestre’s unique style of teaching while playing. Because of his incomparable energy, he allows the opportunity for everyone in attendance to truly soak up the experience. His openness drew in students of all skills andstyles, and rejuvenated our resolve to push forward with our own to be able to express ourselves so freely.

Mestre Jurandir, is always such a reminder of what it means to be well rounded as a capoeirista. Having him here for a few days meant he was here for everything, workshops on movement, music, special sessions with our youth programs and those well-known “ talks.” The movement classes were work and pleasure all rolled up into one, the music workshop gave the brains just as much. But for me, my favorite experiences with Mestre Jurandir are always the opportunities to watch him work with young people. We all know that kids will ask all of the questions we never think to, so what a perfect match for someone who can access a lifetime’s worth of stories.

It is too easy to isolate when our minds perceive distance as a barrier. Often there are periods that go by where, even with as close as all of the east coast groups are, we get caught up in our own going-ons and forget to reach out. A lucky thing to have these experiences, these liaisons, to remind us of the importance of connectivity.

The International Capoeira Angola Foundation of New York presents…

MESTRE JURANDIR
International Capoeira Angola Foundation

Wed & Fri (May 4th & 6th)
7-9:30p

Making a special visit here to New York, Mestre Jurandir, of Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, has decades of experience to share.

He is one of the founders of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation (along with Mestres Cobra Mansa & Valmir). Having enhanced the world of capoeira from Brazil to Africa and throughout Asia with his knowledge and vibrancy, we are fortunate to have him here with us to educate in both the music and movement of this beautiful artform.

$20 per workshop
or
$35 for both

Where?
FICA NY
Gowanus Arts
295 Douglass St
(between 3rd & 4th Av)
Brooklyn, NY

We just posted a new art gallery, this time of photos by Njoli Brown, one of the leaders of FICA-NY. Take a journey through these quick clicks.

Written by Ted Gousse

I have always had trouble with muscle tension.  I would go to Capoeira class and stretch what I could and make it through class but about an hour later I would be walking like the “tin man.” Aside from accounting for the lactic acid that builds up in the muscles after a long workout, other nutrients are exhausted in the body as well.

Proper daily hydration and a balanced diet is what you hear but the rest of the details are left out like what to eat and when and why.  Banana’s are popular for their potassium but that might not always work to relieve most of the pain and tension the body is expressing.  Something else is missing and that is Magnesium.  I started slow because, as a vegetarian, my iron intake is lower than that of someone who eats meat and the muscles need a consistant blood supply for the activities they facilitate.  So, I needed to find a food that would suppliment that and I had success in finding the right foods by considering the foods involved in nourishing the muscles.

I finally came across molasses because it is considered an acceptable iron suppliment for the day.  What I also found was that the debilitating low back pain I would experience after class was about 60-70% gone.  I was so relieved that I found this that I continued looking for why it worked so well.  Molasses is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium!  That was a piece of the puzzle I did not have before so when I later found that it helped the muscles to relax and this was the reason for the relief I was feeling .  Now I take Floradix Calcium-Magnesium as a daily suppliment and my muscle tension is reletively non-existant. If you are the “heady” type you can continue your journey through this link.

If you were wondering “how am I gonna make this part of my healthy lifestyle?” Here are a few websites that might make it easier for you to do your food shopping next week.

• http://magnesiumrichfoods.com/ (food shopping choices)
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642861/?tool=pmcentrez&report=abstract (current research regarding magnesium sources)
• http://www.aquamin.org/ (mineral used in current research)

We’ve just posted a new video for the group as well as the brilliant artwork of Michelle Mashon from the FICA Chicago group. Go check ‘em out when you get a chance!

Almost a year ago our two resident artists, Duhirwe Rushemesa and Michael Loughlin, designed a beautiful banner for the group and gave us all the opportunity to participate in its crafting. Here is a short write up by Michael about the ideas and themes at work in the image:

I believe the banner we created for FICA-NY is a call to arms, an image that lets people know that FICA has arrived and wants to be heard in the great city of New York!

The iconic image of the Empire State building is the center piece of the impressive New York skyline, hence it is used to symbolized that we are alive in the heart of this city. The FICA logo is indeed iconic in its own right thus it is symbolized as being larger than the city for all to see and bring attention to the group that has established itself here.

The use of zebras in the foreground is to represent animals from the birth place of Capoeira Angola, Africa, and to demonstrate just how far the art has migrated. The zebras seem out of place yet blend into the city. The FICA logo also shares the image of the zebra as if it were playing along with the capoerista. Thus it is an image that solidifies that we are all animals roaming this interesting city and planet.

The overall style was created to look loose and fluid. The buildings are not square and no line is truly straight, they are there yet transparent. The city is obviously new york yet it is done in a gestural style that gives it movement and life, not rigid and grounded. The stylized quality used is to mimic the beauty and fluidity found at the heart of capoeira.

The colors used in the banner are that of the typical colors used in FICA, unifying our group with a global society that is interested in enriching the lives of many through the spirit of dance and sing! The color blue is used as a mark of uniqueness, a slight touch of hand that signals a sense of life and artistic freedom to accent. The color is sharp and vibrant in hopes of catching the eye and enlivening the surrounding.

The banner was created to give a sense of pride and spirit to those who train, play and sing in front of it. To establish a voice and pay homage to the art and beauty of Capoeira!

FICA New York is where it’s at! Check out our all-new videos for a taste of capoeira angola in the Big Apple.

Torpedeira Piauí
Coraçado na Bahia
Marinheiro absoluto
Chegou pintando arrelia
Quando vê cobra assanhada
Não mete o pé na rodia
A cobra assanhada morde
Se eu fosse cobra eu mordia
Mataram Pedro Mineiro
Dentro da Secretaria

Translation:
The warship Piauí
Christened in Bahia
The independent sailor
Arrived causing trouble
When you see an agitated snake
Don’t step on it
An agitated snake bites
If I were a snake, I’d bite
They killed Pedro Mineiro
In the police station

On December 26, 1914, a shootout erupted between three capoeiristas (Pedro Mineiro, Sebastião de Souza, and Antônio José Freire, also known as “Branco”) and a group of sailors from the warship Piauí, which was in port in Bahia. Some say it a fight over a prostitute; others claim that the capoeiristas were acting as secret agents of the police, who had clashed with the sailors before. Several of the sailors were injured in the conflict and two were killed – and all three capoeiristas were captured and arrested.

At the trial two days later, Pedro Mineiro was the first to testify. He claimed to be working for the police, and said he was acting in self-defense after having been attacked by the sailors. Sebastião and Branco also claimed to be victims. Suddenly, one of the sailors stood up and shot Pedro Mineiro right there in the courtroom. In the chaos that followed, the sailors escaped and Sebastião and Branco ran away as well. Sebastião was pursued by a sailor and stabbed. He was taken to the hospital along with Pedro Mineiro. The incident was extensively covered by the media, especially the vicious letters between Police Chief Álvaro Cova and Captain Carlos Alves de Souza of the Piauí.

Pedro Mineiro never recovered from his injuries, and died in the hospital on January 15, 1915 at 27 years of age.

For further reading: Mandinga, Manha, & Malícia by Adriana Albert Dias

Foi meu avô  que me disse
Que foi na Bahia ele viu na ribeira
Um moleque de uma perna so
Que pulava, gingava e dava rasteira
Cabeçada “rabo de arraia”
Martelo cruzado. Não era brincadeira
Foi ai em que eu acreditei
Ele viu foi o saci jogando capoeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Moleque saci não era brincadeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Meu avô que me disse, e ele não diz besteira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Ele foi la na Bahia perto da ribeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Martelo cruzado, tombo da ladeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
O moleque saci que joga capoeira

Translation:
It was my grandfather who told me
That in Bahia, he saw on the riverbank
A guy with just one leg
Who jumped, did ginga, and gave rasteira
Cabeçada, rabo de arraia
And martelo. It wasn’t a joke.
That’s when I came to believe
That he saw the saci playing capoeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
It was the saci, it wasn’t a joke
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
My grandfather told me, and he doesn’t lie
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
He went to Bahia, close to the riverbank
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Martelo and tombo da ladeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
It was the saci who plays capoeira

The saci-pererê is a figure in Brazilian folklore arising from indigenous legends in southern Brazil. Initially pictured as a dark-skinned boy with a tail, African influence from northern Brazil later transformed the saci into a one-legged black man with a red hat and a pipe. Some say he lost the other leg playing capoeira. He is seen as a trickster, causing small problems such as making food burn on the stove or whistling to scare and confuse night travelers. Saci is also considered the guardian of knowledge related to medicinal plants and herbs.  He is said to be born in bamboo buds and live in whirlwinds. The myth of the saci has existed since at least the late 18th or early 19th century, but Monteiro Lobato was the first Brazilian writer to focus on the figure of the saci, doing research on the myth and publishing the results. Belief in the saci is still very strong in many communities in Brazil’s interior.

Lá no céu vai quem merece – Those who deserve it go to heaven

Na terra vale quem tem – On earth, it is the rich who matter

A soberba combatida – Excessive arrogance

Foi quem matou Pedro Cem – Was what killed Pedro Cem

Deus é pai de nós todos – God is the father of us all

E eu não sou pai de ninguém – And I am no one’s father

Lá se foi minha fortuna – “There went my fortune!”

Exclamava Pedro Cem – Exclaimed Pedro Cem

Ontem eu fui milionário  – “Yesterday I was a millionaire

Já tive e hoje não tenho  – I used to have everything, but not anymore

O que ontem me valia  – What was worth something to me yesterday

Hoje nem valia tem  - Today has no value at all”

Ele dizia nas portas  – He said in the doorways,

Uma esmola a Pedro Cem  – “Spare some change for Pedro Cem

Quem já teve hoje não tem  – Who used to have, and now has nothing

A quem eu neguei esmola  – Those to whom I never gave handouts

Hoje me nega também  – Now refuse to give me any

Nasci num berço dourado – I was born in a golden cradle

Cresci num colchão macio  – I grew up sleeping on a soft mattress

Hoje eu morro no relento – Today, I die homeless

Neste imundo e chão frio – On the cold, dirty ground.”

A justiça examinando  – The police chief examining

Os bolsos de Pedro Cem – Pedro Cem’s pockets

Encontrou uma mochila – Found a little sack

Dentro dela um vintêm  – Inside it a single coin

E um letreiro que dizia – And an inscription that said

Já teve, hoje não tem – “Once had it all, today has nothing.”

The legend of Pedro Cem is widely known in Brazil. I often heard the story told as a parable. There is also a poem by João Martins de Ataíde that tells the story, of which there are various versions. To this day, Pedro Cem continues to serve as a frightening example.

Pedro Pedrossem da Silva was a real person who was born in Porto, Portugal, and died there on February 9^th, 1775. An extremely rich merchant and the owner of several companies, he was a powerful, proud, and greedy man. He married Ana Micaela Fraga and had three children: – Luiz Pedrossem, João Pedrossem, and Vicente Pedrossem.

The legend says that Pedrossem, gazing out over the sea from a tower, saw his fleets of ships arriving from Brazil and from India, carrying spices, jewels, and expensive products. Full of vanity, he exclaimed, “Now I couldn’t become poor even if God himself willed it!”

But a fierce storm destroyed the fleet, and Pedrossem lost everything he owned. His pride and greed had driven away all his friends, and he resorted to begging in the streets of Porto: “Spare change for Pedro Cem, who had it all and now has nothing!”

Scholars claim that Pedro never actually became a beggar, though he did sell his property and withdraw from the social and commercial world. But the situation set the stage for the legend, which is told as a lesson that pride goes before a fall.

Source: http://jangadabrasil.com.br/agosto60/cn60080a.htm

Check out the link for the full poem (in Portuguese) by Luís da Câmara Cascudo.