Capoeira NUS

Upcoming Events

2012-01-28T10:50:00.005+08:00

Hey guys,

There are two main capoeira events this week (in case you've forgotten!). For those of you who can make it, please join us!

Monthly Roda (29th Jan)
Grupo Xango, the official grupo in NUS Capoeira, will be holding its monthly roda again tomorrow! This means the other Xango branches in Singapore will meet to have a massive roda. Everyone is invited!

The following are the details:
Date: 29th of January (Sun)
Time: 4pm-6pm
Place: Helix Bridge
Attire: Xango school uniform (or FULL WHITE if you don't have)
If Wet Weather/ if location unavailable: Esplanade underpass area (X'mas roda location)

If you are interested to go or if you find yourself lost, please contact Angeline (9835 4060).

Grupo Senzala Penang Workshop (4th & 5th Feb)

Four of us are heading down to Penang next weekend to join Professor Parabolica from Grupo Senzala in a workshop.

Workshops are always good for us to be exposed to newer styles in capoeira games and to meet other capoeiristas from other grupos. Beginners and seniors are all welcomed to join!

If you are interested, please let me know soon - latest by Monday. This is so I can arrange for a (free) place to stay and for transportation.

Also, (fortunately or unfortunately?) I can bring all of you around to the yummiest places to eat! We are leaving Singapore Friday night to Penang, and back by Monday morning.

If you are interested, email us at capoeira.nus@gmail.com or contact me (8617 9569).

See our previous post on the workshop here for the details.

Axe!

Rosinha

Welcome Tea This Semester!

2012-01-28T10:35:00.003+08:00

Ola camaras,

Muito obrigada for attending our recent Welcome Tea on Thursday!

To the new members, we hope you enjoyed yourselves and are pumped up to begin our trainings! Starting next week, we are going to begin our regular classes, with newer songs, sequences and so on. If you have any questions at all, please ask away! I hope the capoeira bug has already spread. (:

As for the seniors, welcome back! It is wonderful to see everyone again, and hopefully this welcome tea had you energised for more jogo bonito and great times ahead this semester! Keep training to be better and always put as much positive energy as you can into the grupo and jogo. Don't stop the axe!

For those who did not get to attend, you are most welcomed to join us for classes next week. Check out our training times on the top right-hand corner of this blog, or email us at capoeira.nus@gmail.com for more enquiries.

See you next week, and keep checking the blog for updates!

Cheers,
Rosinha

Happy New Year!

2012-01-25T02:41:00.001+08:00

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Gong Xi Fai Cai everyone!

It’s the Lunar New Year season and time for more bak kwas, love letters and pineapple tarts! But go easy on the treats cuz training resumes right after CNY! Morcego will definitely ensure that we shed off some calories from the cny goodies. More Shaun T fitness regime to look forward to!

Come this Thursday there will be a welcome tea for all newcomers. Details are as follows:

Venue: MPSH4

Time: 7pm

Attire: tshirt and trackpants. we train barefoot

We will also be having a Chinese New Year celebration after the training so do join us for the lou hei and MORE cny goodies.

Here’s a song Mercego was sharing with us last week. Those who went for the Christmas monthly roda would have heard of this song. Enjoy the song! It’s addictive =)

Title: Ijexa

Ijexa e a danca do negro
Ijexa e a danca do negro (coro)

e o negro e, e nago
e o negro e, e nago (coro)

e vai,
vai vai vai cair (coro)
beleza beleza,
vai vai vai cair (coro)
isso e capoeira,

Quando o meu mestre passar
PASSAR
Batam palma ascenando para o ar
PARA O AR /PARA O AR
Mais nao se esqueça do que ele falou
FALOU
Toque pandeiro, berimbau, toque agogo
Falou
TOQUE PANDEIRO, BERIMBAU, TOQUE AGOGO

meu povo que beleza
e a danca capoeira com certeza
meu povo que beleza
e a danca capoeira com certeza

Rosa

Grupo Senzala Penang Workshop again!

2012-01-12T23:25:00.004+08:00

Hey all,

Professor Parabolica from my Grupo Senzala, will be returning to Penang to conduct another workshop in February!

The confirmed details are:
Date: 4th & 5th February 2012 (Sat & Sun)
Time: 10am-1pm for both days
Venue: Let's Dance Studio (Penang, Malaysia)
Fees: RM75 (30.78SGD)

The Facebook Event page is here.

Those interested, please let me know by January 30th (Mon)! We could also travel down together to Penang again.

- Rosinha

Ano Novo!

2012-01-12T23:19:00.001+08:00

Hey all!

Have you been training hard the past holiday?

Most of us were busy traveling, working or returning home (probably devouring all the homecooked food he or she can before returning), but at the back of our minds, I am sure the berimbau was still playing and there hiding in your room, you managed to sneak some gingas and other movimentos with the mirror reflection.

Now that the holidays have ended, it's time to get serious again and train even more! We will post up our Welcome Tea details soon. For now, our trainings are back to normal.

A new year, new semester, & a new set of challenges and exciting adventures waiting to happen!

Have a great year, camaras!

Axe,
NUS Capoeira Group

It's December holidays!

2011-12-07T01:02:00.001+08:00

What a great way to end the exams and semester and start the December holidays with a 5-day workshop! Mestre Luizinho came down from Australia and imparted some knowledge to us during the workshop.

Highlights of the workshop included a visit to Bantus Capoeira. Sequences were taught, we learned some acrobatic moves, and did maculele as well as a music session to know more about the different instruments of capoeira. After our 5-day workshop, many of us are pumped and just yearning for more capoeira! So look out for the holiday training details on the right side of the blog!

Having been with us for 3 months and being our most active exchange student, we decided to bring Yulia around for some durian session and gave her a farewell roda too. All the best Yulia and continue to learn Capoeira wherever you are! Thanks for the Russian souvenirs.

To all our beginners, it’s been a great semester having all of you with us. Good luck to the exchange students who are going back or have already gone back! Hope NUS Capoeira has been a great family and capoeira is a passion that you want to pursue in life! Continue to stay hungry for more capoeira!

PS: Christmas roda will be on 18 December, Sunday, at Helix Bridge. Details to be confirmed.

AXE Capoeira!

Rosa (Angeline)

Boa Sorte!

2011-11-20T18:15:00.002+08:00

Hey guys,

Hope you're not stressed out from your FYPs, final papers, and of course, preparations for the dreaded exams! We know how it can be especially after a long semester like this! It will be over soon - think of the upcoming workshop to look forward to once you're done!

In light of the exam period, a couple of us made a video to wish all of you the best (Read the description of the video on youtube)! Just to remind you to take it lightly.

Smiling yet? You'll do fine, don't worry! (:

Axeeeee and see you soon, camaras!

Rosinha

Mugging period. But not forgetting Capoeira.

2011-11-05T23:40:00.002+08:00

Notes..library..sleepless nights..what do all these have in common? Haha.. It’s exam time! Thanks for turning up on Thursday for the last official training of the semester. Hope everyone enjoyed the 9 kicks that Morcego taught. Quick recap:

Meia lua de frente (mei-ya-lua-de-french)
Armada (ar-ma-da)
Quexada (kay-sha-da)
Martelo (mar-tel-lo)
Bencao (ben-sao)
Compasso (com-pa-so)
Chapa (sha-pa)
Chapa de costa (sha-pa-de-cos-ta)
Gancho (ganch)

Need help recalling any of the moves? Youtube is your bestfriend.

In the meantime, if you’re craving for some capoeira, you can always search for some vids online or visit central library level 5. You’ll find some of the seniors there. To find out how much you’ve improve over the past 12 weeks, tune it to our NUScapoeira YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/NUScapoeira).

As for the end-November Capoeira Encounter, you guys can pay me the full $120 (early bird price for those who registered with KY) anytime from now till the workshop itself. I will usually be in the library 6 floor/school. Just drop me an SMS!

In the meantime, study hard and good luck for the exams! See everyONE next semester.

PS: may have ‘secret’ training from now till exams. Check the blog for updates or we’ll sms u!

*FIGHTING*

Rosa (Angeline)

Song Letras: Capoeira E Defesa Ataque

2011-10-22T20:53:00.003+08:00

In line with learning to grasp how capoeira can be so diverse, here's a song you might like to sing! The chorus is a mouthful, but the meanings might help you remember.

We will be singing this in the next roda!

Capoeira E Defesa Ataque

Coro:

Capoeira, é defesa, ataque (Capoeira is a defense, an attack)

a ginga de corpo e a malandragem, (the sway of the body, and the malandragem)

São Fransisco Nunes (St. Fransiscus Nunes)

Preto Velho meu avô (Old black man, my grandfather)

Ensinou para o meu pai (He taught my father)

Mas meu pai não me ensinou (but my father did not teach me)

Coro

O Maculelê (The maculele)

é a dança do pau (is a dance with woods)

Na roda de Capoeira (In the roda of Capoeira)

é no toque do berimbau (it's in the rhythm of the berimbau)

Coro

Eu já tive em Moçambique (I have been to Mozambique)

Eu já tive em Guinè (I have been to Guine)

Tô voltando de Angola (I'm coming back from Angola)

Com o jogo de Malè (with the game of Malè)

Coro

Se você quer aprender (If you want to learn)

Vai ter que praticar (go practice it )

Mas na roda de Capoeira (But in the roda of Capoeira)

É gostoso de jogar (it's a delight to play)

Coro

Jogo galore!

2011-10-22T20:31:00.010+08:00

For the past two weeks we have moved away from the usual benguela roda that we are so accustomed to. Aside from some crazy conditioning by a certain crazy capoeirista (don't worry, this will tone down next week), we have since been exposed to a little of regional, angola, maculele and samba! Now isn't that a chunk!

As you have noticed (and for most of you, this being the reason you love this art), capoeira is an amalgamation of so many things, such as music, history, language, philosophy, and martial arts. Because of this, the game doesn't revolve around some ass-kicking self-defense skills, as the letras go, "Isso jogo capoeira, nao e karate". It becomes complicated when all these different aspects interweave to generate different styles and ways of moving the bodies along with music. This means you have more excitingly diverse games in capoeira to express yourselves in!

To veeeerrrryyyyyy briefly recap what you've learnt:
angola - challenging as it involves more mandinga or trickeries,
regional - also demanding and sweat-inducing as it requires quick-thinking and high-intensity kicks,
maculele - the fun stick-dance you learnt last Thursday. Remember the V-shape!
samba - that ~~petrifying~~ hip-moving dance... for some it's more hardwork than angola, though evidently most of you can really move to the yummy beats of samba (not to be confused with sambal)!

These are only but a few out of the great treasure chest of capoeira styles. We will hopefully learn more about them as we train, but the important thing is that you enjoy yourselves.

We apologise that we can't write as much on the blog due to towering amount of assignments. But we will try our best to post more on these different games here when we are liberated from the unforgiving essays!

For now ginga along and it will all be muito beleza!

Rosinha

Want More, Need More!

2011-10-22T19:13:00.006+08:00

Hey you capoeira-geek!

Don't need to role away. This refers to you, the one reading this while loading multiple capoeira videos on youtube. ;P

Do you find yourself

thirsting for more capoeira?
wanting to improve that au for ages?
wishing you played more in the roda?
needing to channel more axe into that pandeiro?

We know, trainings just aren't enough! (That's partly why you keep checking capoeira blogs and youtube... we know, we do the same).

To cure this insanity, a couple of us seniors have decided to have some additional trainings aside from our normal classes.

This is entirely optional. It might involve capoeira conditioning, but it will mostly be free and easy - that is, everyone will be free to choose to focus on whichever aspect/moves of capoeira they wish to improve on. Best thing is, you will have seniors present to support and assist should you face any difficulties. We could also jogar together and play some music.

If you are interested, please contact us via the numbers on the right sidebar of this blog.

In the meantime, (being also a capoeira geek) I'd like to share with you this video! Comment on what you think of this roda!

Have a good weekend!

Rosinha

World Beats! 2011

2011-10-21T09:41:00.001+08:00

Hey guys,

I thought you might be interested in an event this November called, "The World Beats". There will be music, dance and visual arts workshops and performances. This includes Javanese gamelan, Indian dance, and Capoeira!

Grupo Bantus Capoeira in Singapore will be giving the workshop and performance on the 17th of November, so if you'd like to see more capoeira, do head down! Performances are free, but you will have to fork-out a bit of $$$ for the workshops.

For more details visit: www.worldbeats.asia.

Rosinha

Tricks AND Treats: Halloween Monthly Roda!

2011-10-20T09:18:00.004+08:00

It's that time of the month again to ginga and jogar with other schools - the Monthly Roda!

Because we are approaching Halloween, it will be themed as such, so do come down dressed up in your best Halloween outfits and be ready for some bloodcurdling but exciting roda!

Details are as follows:

Date: 30th Oct 2011 (Sun)

Time: 4-6pm

Venue: Orchard Central (the open space before Goldheart)

Meeting Place (before 4pm): Recognise Studios, Level 5, Orchard Central

To those interested, we could meet at 3.15pm at the Somerset MRT ticketing counter before going. Let us know!

Also, do note that you will be doing capoeira in your costumes, so please dress to ~~kill~~ play!

See you there!

Rosinha

Capoeira Encounter with Mestre Luizinho!

2011-10-16T11:56:00.002+08:00

What's that? Need more capoeira, you say?

Then you will be pleased to hear that Mestre Luizinho from Grupo Xango (NUS' official grupo) will be in Singapore to share his knowledge this November/December! He will be coming down from Australia for a five-day workshop and this will be a great opportunity for you to learn more about the game from an experienced teacher in capoeira.

Once your exams are over, do head down! The workshop is open for all!

Details are in the poster below.

Should you have any queries, please email us at capoeira.nus@gmail.com

Meanwhile, all the best with school!

Song Letras: A Mare 'ta Cheia & Eu Vim Pra Vadiar

2011-10-16T11:31:00.005+08:00

A Mare 'ta Cheia

A maré 'tá cheia, ioio (The tide is high)

A maré 'tá cheia, iaia!

Coro:

A maré 'tá cheia, ioio,

A maré 'tá cheia, iaia!

A maré subiu (The tide rose)

Coro: sobe maré (You see the tide rise)

A maré desceu (The tide went down)

Coro: desce maré (You see the tide drop)

Ô maré com maré (The tide with the tide)

Coro: vou pra Ilha de Maré! (I am going to the island of Maré!)

Eu vim Pra Vadiar No Berimbau

Eu vim pra vadiar no berimbau (I came to linger on the berimbau)

eu vim pra vadiar no jogo (I came to linger in the game)

eu vim pra vadiar no canto e na palma (I came to linger in the music and in the clappings)

eu vim ver capoeira vadiar! (I came to see capoeira linger!)

Coro:

Eu vim pra vadiar no berimbau,

eu vim pra vadiar no jogo,

eu vim pra vadiar no canto e na palma,

eu vim ver capoeira vadiar!

Vadeia berimbau me da o som (Wading the sound of the berimbau)

transmita toda sua energia (I transmit all your energy)

ao seu comando a roda vai começar (at your command the roda will start)

pois hoje dia de alegria ! (it is the day of joy for today!)

Coro

E o capoeira sai para a vadiação (And the capoeira leaves for vagrancy)

e um bom jogo nos arrepia (and a good game in chills)

Martelo, cabeçada, rasteira e pisão (Martelo, cabecada, rasteira and pisao)

mais sem atropelo e na harmonia! (no more hustle and harmony!)

Coro

E o canto embala o coração (And the song rocks the heart)

e historia e lamento e poesia (and history and sadness and poetry)

e a voz de um guerreiro soltar no ar (and the voice of a warrior in the air)

e a palma animando a bateria! (and the animated clapping and bateria!)

Coro

Divirta-se!

Sing sing, meu camara, sing!

2011-10-16T11:10:00.009+08:00

It has been three good days since the last training, and you find yourself humming some infectious capoeira songs you've heard in the roda while studying. You vaguely know the words, so they come out as a confusing combination of Portuguese words, like "berimbau" and "eu vou", but you really can't help yourself.

Hey, that's alright, it happens to even the more experienced capoeiristas! It can be difficult to remember ALL the new songs and lyrics, but hopefully with time and practise you will be able to mouth them all as you go about singing in the roda. We apologise that we cannot teach every single song here on the blog or during training, but part of the fun is also in discovering them for yourself from youtube or tracking down and demanding a senior to teach you the lyrics before/after class (to coerce with sweaty after-training t-shirt..!).

Singing in capoeira as we have stressed is extremely important. Music provides the rhythm of the game, but singing extends this in that it invokes the mood of the game. It depends on the songs you choose and the way you sing them.

There is something enchanting about the sound of unified voices of people (what's more, capoeiristas who have similar passion for capoeira as you!) singing and clapping as though to motivate the two players in the middle. It is vital for the whole circle because you feel a particular connection when you sing and clap together with everyone, infusing sometimes some impromptu sounds to make the music and spirit merrier. It is as though your singing encourages the capoeira players in the circle to play and to play beautifully.

That is why it is so very necessary that everyone sings loudly and energetically because it has an affect on the players and the closeness of the grupo. It makes the roda lively, and it really influences how everyone feels about each other and about Capoeira as a whole, even after the roda has long ended.

Of course there is so much more to dwell upon under this aspect of capoeira, such as the philosophy of the songs itself, but we shall leave that for another post! For now, I hope everyone will start singing the songs more and with much gusto so that we can better enjoy the roda!

Keeping that in mind, does everyone remember the three songs we practised on Thursday, i.e. "Pisao Cabloco", "Amare 'ta Cheia", and "Eu Vim Pra Vadiar"? Take a look at the lyrics, meanings and videos in the next post. Hopefully we will get to hear some of the juniors lead the singing next week! ;)

Axe!
Rosinha (getting used to and liking blogging here)

Grupo Senzala Penang Workshop with Professor Parabolica

2011-10-13T23:00:00.009+08:00

Early this month, a few of us capoeira junkies headed down to Penang for an invaluable workshop weekend with an experienced teacher in capoeira, Professor Parabolica from Grupo Senzala.

While we admittedly stuffed ourselves with some irresistable Penang delicacies and the much-talked about Penang laksa (can you blame us, really?), the workshop was what satisfied our hunger for good yummy capoeira!

We would like to extend our deep gratitude to our fellow capoeiristas in Penang and especially to Professor Parabolica for the fantastic workshop as well as Instrutor Pixote! It is always good to learn from experienced teachers like them while also sharing our interests and passion with other capoeiristas irregardless of grupo, age, race, and so on. It certainly fueled our interest in capoeira!

I would like to also personally thank the NUS capoeira seniors for being insane and therefore cool enough to take a 10-hour drive to attend my grupo's (Grupo Senzala) workshop. It means a lot, and you are always welcomed to train with the grupo in Penang!

Muito obrigada!

Rosinha

Training Venues

2011-10-12T16:59:00.001+08:00

Hey guys!

Please note that our training venue is back at MPSH 2!

Ah, bigger space for bigger rounds of warm-ups! Hehe.

Rosinha

This Saturday's Capoeira Retreat

2011-10-12T16:12:00.005+08:00

Hey sexy capoeiristas!

Itching to destress with capoeira from the intense school work? We are scratching too!

That is why this Saturday we are planning a mini-retreat at Sentosa beach, and you are invited to come!

*Lunch*Games*Chillout*Capoeira*Dinner*Fun!*

Be prepared to be sun-kissed and consumed by axe as we will most certainly inject some capoeira in the evening. For those who are up for it, we could do some tricking and practise some flips!

Meeting Time:

1pm

Meeting Place:

Harbourfront MRT ticketing counter

Things to Bring:

- Change of clothes & towel

- Suntan lotion

- Money

- Volleyball, Frisbee, anything you'd like for playing at the beach

- Snacks if you may,

- Homework if you can't help yourself,

- Axe if you must (oh and you must!)

Do confirm your attendance with us personally or via email at capoeira.nus@gmail.com. You may also access the Facebook Events page at here.

Also, contact Angeline (9835-4060) or KY (84444-319) for further information!

See you there!

Axe!

Step It Up!

2011-10-12T15:50:00.013+08:00

Ola camaras!

Since our return from Recess Week, we hope all of you have been enjoying our trainings so far!

We'd like to thank Instrutor Pixote from Grupo Senzala for visiting us last Thursday and for providing us with a wealth of capoeira wisdom and knowledge, even if we've only met for such a short time. It was certainly an invaluable encounter and we hope we will be able to meet again in another roda.

Muito obrigada, Instrutor!

If you remember (or feel from the lingering axe of last Thursday's roda), Instrutor Pixote introduced a song in the roda called, "Pisa Cabloco". Let's try to sing it in the roda next! For the benefit of those who would like to learn the song, here's a short clip and the lyrics:

Letra (lyrics)

Pisa caboclo

quero ver você pisar (I want to see you step)

pisa la que eu piso ca (I step on the floor)

quero ver você pisar (I want to see you step)

Coro:

Pisa caboclo

quero ver você pisar

Na brida do meu samba (in the bridle of my samba)

quero ver você dançar (I want to see you dance)

Coro

Pisa la que eu piso ca (I step on the floor)

quero ver quem vai pular (I want to see who will jump)

Coro

Na batida do meu gunga (In the beat of my gunga)

quero ver você pular (I want to see you jump)

Coro

This song has an upbeat tempo and is pretty fun to sing when the energy in the roda is beginning to build up. I like it because it highlights the importance of being responsive and aware in the roda. When "I" am "stepping" or "dancing" on the floor, "I" want "you" to respond too.

Thus, this song to me is a way of encouraging the other person to react and not merely play an individual game - part of the point in a jogo de capoeira! I like simple songs like this where you can draw so many interpretations out.

But what do you think? Feel free to comment here how this song means to *you*! (:

As for our regular trainings, let's hope we can level up our game and always remember the lessons we've learnt from all our teachers in capoeira, such as Instrutor Pixote.

Axe everyone!

Rosinha (my first post!)

Training for Next 2 weeks

2011-09-29T01:17:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

As you know these 2 weeks involve the mid term exams, so the MPSH will not be available as a training venue for us. So instead we will train at YIH.

On Tuesdays we will train at YIH until 8 pm before we head over to the Dance Studio.

On Thursdays we will be training at YIH.

Training time is as usual at 7 p.m after which we will head off for supper to fill our hungry stomachs.

~Axe

Kelvin

It's back to outside MPSH

2011-09-27T16:01:00.000+08:00

Guys sorry for the mix up but for this semester we'll be training at MPSH 2. The dance studio arrangements only take effect in December. MPSH 2 is also closed off for mid-terms these 2 weeks so look training will be held outside. Sorry again for the mix up!

Brian

NUS Capoeira AY 2011/2012 Semester 1 Retreat

2011-09-26T22:01:00.002+08:00

Hey guys keep yourselves free on the 15th of October Saturday 2011. We are gonna have our 1st retreat!

The plan is - Sentosa (If it does not rain) , if not don't worry we will have our wet weather programme. So please come down and bond with us as a family and a club. :D

~Axe

Kelvin

Change of venue..again???

2011-09-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

Hey guys what's up? Hope recess week's been good for everyone!

Anyway just a quick update. Tuesday's trainings will be conducted at e dance studio in SRC with immediate effect. If u're not too sure of e place, it's actually right next to e rock-climbing gym on e second floor.

Even more reason to come down for Tuesday's trainings. In addition to e solid sound system, there are also mirrors for u to check your form, e floor's WAY cleaner, there's air-conditioning n...e acoustics r pretty damn awesome when it comes to singing during roda.

Look forward to seeing everyone there next tuesday! There's also a monthly roda this Sunday at *scape behind cineleisure at 4pm. Do come down to take a look if u're free. Contact me for more details at 9431 0313.

Axe!
Brian

Holiday Training & Change of Venue!

2011-09-16T18:09:00.001+08:00

Hey guys!

Hope everyone's still doing fine from the massive pre-recess week workload. Anyway take comfort in the fact that recess week's finally here. Just to update everyone, training is still on as usual. Tuesday and Thursday. However this week's Tuesday training will be slightly different.

This Tuesday, 20/9/11, we'll be heading down to SMU for training instead of holding it at NUS. Please come in your usual work-out attire. Training starts at 7:30pm at the CCA room. Some of us will be there ard 7 to just chill out n do some warming-up.

Ok here's e impt bit on how to get there. For those travelling by public transport please get yourselves to Bras Basah MRT which is on e circle line. From there, come out of e station n turn right. Walk all e way till u see e POSB atm. If u look above u at this point u shld see a signboard tt says 'CCA ROOM'. Take note tt we can't get in w/o an SMU access card so if u're there n e door's closed please go to e window n wave. If no one sees u just give me a ring at 9431 0313. If u're driving, I think u can park at e sch of biz which is closer to e city hall side of SMU.

Thursday's training is on as usual at NUS. Look forward to seeing u guys at SMU next Tuesday! A few reasons y u shld come: 1. E training venue is air-conditioned 2. There're mirrors for u to look at your form n e most impt reason 3. Get to know e other capoeiristas from our sister school!!!

K peeps tt's all from me. Enjoy your recess week!

~B

Week 6 training

2011-09-12T01:00:00.000+08:00

Hey hey!

Hope e past few weeks of training have been great for you guys! To help us improve further, we’ll be taking videos of e roda and you’ll then be able to view it on youtube. Subscribe to us on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/NUScapoeira?feature=mhee

For this Tuesday's training, we’ll also be celebrating mid-autumn festival so there’ll be mooncakes! It will be a great chance for exchange students to try this Singaporean treat. Do come down for training! (n e mooncakes =P)

Recess week is also coming and to help us get to know each other better there will be a retreat during that week. More details will be announced this Tuesday!

PS: For those who have yet to pay your fees, please kindly do so by this week. Thank you =)

Axe~

Angeline (Rosa)

Thursday. Training.

2011-08-31T13:47:00.000+08:00

Hey all!

Hope everyone's enjoyed the Hari Raya holidays. Be it celebrating, for our Muslim friends, or going out or even simply using e spare day to catch up on some sch work, one thing's definitely been sorely missed. Tuesday's training!!!

Anyway to satisfy that itch (which most of us are having) please be warned that Thursday's training will be intense. That being said, everyone's encouraged to come down pumped up and ready to learn because even though it's gonna be intense, no one ever said it was gonna be physically intense so don't let that stop u budding capoeiristas. Morcego will be coming down this Thursday and sharing his recent inspirations with us. Do come down and absorb e axe!

See ya'll at 7 sharp.

~Grey Singlet Guy

Upcoming Events

2011-08-26T01:37:00.001+08:00

Hi fellow capoeristas!

Welcome to the NUS capoeira family! For those who came for training today, you may have known of some of the club's upcoming activities.

Events

1. Museum night festival
Saturday, 27 aug, 6.30pm at National museum of Singapore
a gathering for all the capoeristas with our sister schools..good time to get to know more people!

2. Monthly roda
Sunday, 28 aug, 4pm at *scape
a monthly event where everyone from our sister schools will come together to jogo (play)!u don't have to play if you're not confident or comfortable..just drop by to take a look!you'll feel e axé (pronounced as ah-shay, which means positive energy)
- if you're keen on going for e roda please inform us!

Fees

We'll be collecting our fees from next week onwards. It will be $60 for the entire semester. Just pass me the money at any of our trainings.
We will also be selling the club shirt in 2 weeks time so by then, everyone will be wearing the same shirt for training.

~Axe

Kelvin Kwek

NUS Capoeira Welcome Tea 2011/2012 Sem 1

2011-08-12T19:52:00.001+08:00

Its the time of the year again! Old faces meet new faces and new faces meet new faces. All yearning for one thing - Capoeira! Axe!

There will be 2 sessions of Welcome Tea/Open Class, just in case you guys can't make it to either one.

Details are as follows:

Date : 16th & 18th August 2011 (Tues and Thu respectively)

Time: 7.00pm - 9.30pm

Venue: MPSH 2

The time and venue is the same for both days.

Please come down with your sports attire (preferably long & comfortable sports pants & T-shirt) as we will be sharing some Capoeira basics with you.

Here's some questions that you might want answered:-

Q: I do not have any experience in Capoeira or any other martial art, can I still join?

A: Why not? We do not hold auditions or anything of such nature to 'filter' you out. Capoeira is for everyone!

Q: I can't make it for the Welcome Tea/Open Class. Can I still join you guys for training?

A: Yup, our pleasure =)

Q: I'm only in NUS for exchange for a semester or two, will it be okay for me to join you guys?

A: Sure! We have had many people joining us though they're on exchange or internship.

Q: Capoeira looks scary. I doubt if I can do those movements.

A: The Welcome Tea/Open Class session will be focusing on the basics in Capoeira. Do not worry too much. All you need is an open mind. We'll learn and progress together, like a family ;)

For more info, please contact Brian or Kelvin. You may also email us at capoeira.nus@gmail.com

To NUS Capoeira familia! Hope to see you guys during the Welcome Tea.

p.s. note the change of time from 7.30pm to 7pm.

Cheers,

Potluck @ Shiela's

2011-08-05T20:25:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm sure you guys heard of Mcdonald's and Nando's. Have you heard of Shiela's?
We'll be having dinner, potluck style this Saturday night, instead of the usual 'tapao' and eating w/o company XD
Details are as follows:-

Date: 6th August 201
Time: 6pm - *who knows when*
Venue: Shiela's house @ Toa Payoh

Its potluck, don't forget to bring something to share =)

See you guys there.

Cheers,
KY

Just like our Thursdays before...

2011-08-03T11:54:00.000+08:00

Heya fellas,

We'll be having training as usual tomorrow (4 Aug 2011) at MPSH 2. We'll start at 7.30pm.

Those who have already returned from overseas, free after work or find your Thursdays during the holidays boring, come down and pump some Axe ;)

Looking forward to see you there.

Cheers,
KY

Matric Fair 2011

2011-07-30T18:41:00.000+08:00

Woohoo..

4 days of matrix fair is finally over. A big thank you to everyone (Shiela, Gabriel, KY, Arnold, Mumia, Kelvin, Brian) who came down to help man the booth. Here’s a snapshot of what happened at e matric fair.

For freshies who missed the matric fair and would like to join us, our welcome tea will be held on the 2^nd week of school, probably on 16 (Tues) and 18 (Thurs) August. More details will be posted on the blog soon!

In the meantime, most of our members are currently busy with the Combined Martial Arts Display (CMAD). If you are interested in other martial arts as well, do come down and watch the performance on 11 Aug (Thurs). Our very own Faizal and Cindy will be the lead actor and actress in the performance! Details at http://cmad2011.wordpress.com/

that's all fr now! tata

Axe!

Rosa

The Au is so easy, if I had a third side I'd do it there too!

2011-07-10T23:21:00.000+08:00

This series of posts is gonna be about Au variations.

Most of us who have been doing capoeira for at least 1 semester are familiar with the basic Au ("cartwheel").

So... if you've mastered the Au on both sides what else is there to do?

Well, unfortunately, there isn't a third side for you to Au but if you are looking for a challenge, do not fret - there are a couple of Au variations that you can try.

This week's Au is the Au Helicopteiro.

I've included 3 tutorials because some of you may find a particular tutorial easier to follow (hands up those who prefer the one in Portuguese! :P)

Once you guys get good let's go to Sentosa and do this:

Train hard and enjoy the last few weeks of your holidays!

Axe~!
-Bom Garoto

Holiday Training!

2011-06-19T21:57:00.004+08:00

It's been a week since we last had our fill of capoeira. For all those hungry capoeiristas out there, I understand the lack of training may be causing some of us to 'itch' which could lead to accidents due to the uncontrollable urge to try 'flying' and other crazy things. In order to prevent this we will be resuming training again this coming week!

Tuesdays, 7.30pm/ 1930 hours (for the army boy in you) - SMU, CCA Room.

Thursdays, 7.30pm/ 1930 hours - NUS, MPSH 2

Please feel free to drop by (that's just saying it nicely, haha what I meant to say was please get your a** down to) either one of these 2 days or both if you can so that we can get some capoeira loving a.k.a axe into our lives.

In the meantime if you're interested in 'flying' please contact Faizal, Ken/ Toshi/ Sapo (they're the same person) or me directly. Secret training. Insurance not included.

Alrighto. Train hard peeps. Hope to see everyone soon!

~Guy who didn't wash his abadas for the entire batizado

Batizado 2011

2011-06-15T00:16:00.005+08:00

Once again the Batizado/grading is over! The 4-day event is certainly bigger than the previous year! And this is also the first Xango grading in Singapore.

Note: for those who want to know the difference b/w Zambiacongo and Xango pls approach anyone who attended the workshop!

The workshop wouldn’t be possible w/o the following ppl:

Mestre Luizuinho Barravento and Formado James

The HQ for all the planning work

And EveryONE for the fabulous AXE..

I always look forward to the big rodas because of the high enthusiasm of everyone singing, clapping, playing the instruments and jogo-ing. No doubt it looks intimidating (when I see some of them ‘flying’), the axe from the roda was really overwhelming.

A short summary of what we did at the workshop:

Sequences at the start of the workshop daily. Followed by either roda, some story telling by the Mestre or maculele. On top of that, we went for a HDB performance at Fajar Shopping Mall on the 3^rd day of batizado and also to the KTM railway station before it closes down at the end of this month! (refer to the pics to see how much the GUYS enjoyed themselves tt night!)

There’s so much to write and share with everyone but I don’t know where to start! Haha..just approach any of us if you want to find out more about the workshop. And we’ll try to share what we’ve learnt with everyone too (the moves, songs etc)

Lastly……

7 of us leveled up! The new corda (belt) system has changed so please refer to the FB group for the new color system..

Current raw + light green belt: Toshi, Shiela, Arnold, Kelvin, Brian and ME (Angeline)

Light green: Faizal Bom Garoto

Congrats to everyone for the hard work and Faizal for being the most senior among us now!

And unfortunately, because Syaz wasn’t feeling well, she came to have a feeeeel of the axe but did not take part in the grading. Next year Syaz!

And……Toshi got an apelido! No points for guessing correctly. It’s SAPO! YES! Haha..he’s the only one among us to get an apelido. Guess he can’t escape from that name!

Have a good rest everyone and for those who sustained injury, rest more and recover soon! Look forward to the next grading! In the meantime, train hard!

PS: there will be no NUS training this Thursday (16June). See you guys next week.

Salve capoeira,

Angeline (Rosa) [my first blog entry]

2011-06-03T20:42:00.004+08:00

Hey guys below is the timetable for the Batizado, do take a look and get an idea. Cheers

	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
0900-1000			Uniform sale	Uniform sale
1000-1200			Workshop SMU- T junction	Workshop *Scape
1200-1330			Lunch Break/ Uniform sale	Lunch break/ Uniform sale
1330-1530			Workshop SMU- T junction	Workshop *Scape
1530-1600			Break/ Uniform sale	Break/ Uniform sale
1600-1800		Workshop NUS – YIH (1530-1730)	Workshop/ Roda SMU- T junction	Batizado *Scape
1800-1930		Dinner Break/ Uniform sale	Roda/ Dinner
1930-2130	Open Workshop SMU- T junction	Workshop NUS - YIH

All workshop contents will be decided by Mestre Luizinho. Venues are in Blue.

Notes:

- There is no stay over for Batizado.

- All students are to come in ZC T-shirts & abadas if available.

- New students are to come in any comfortable T-shirts and track/sports pants that at least cover the knees. White colour is preferred.

Training on 2/6/2011 - Thursday

2011-06-02T01:48:00.002+08:00

Hi Guys,

Do take note we WILL NOT be having training as usual on Thursday as most people will be busy so please continue to train on your own at home. Have a great weekend ahead

axe~

Kelvin

Holiday Training @ SMU 24th May 2011

2011-05-23T17:36:00.003+08:00

Hey guys!

We will be having holiday training tomorrow 7 pm @ SMU CCA Room below the School of Infosys. You can take an MRT to Bras Basah MRT and exit the SMU exit.

Alif will be there to take you guys for training so do go down and learn all you can!!

Kelvin

~Axe~

Holiday Training Timings and Schedule

2011-05-18T17:02:00.005+08:00

Hi capoeiristas

We will be having training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-9pm.

For Thursdays the official venue will be NUS SRC (Sports and Recreation Centre) MPSH2.

If there are any activities going on or the MPSH is booked, our training will be shifted to YIH (Yusoff Ishak House) Amphitheater.

For Tuesday trainings we will either head down to SMU from 730pm onwards at CCA room, or if there are more people around we will conduct training at NUS.

If you are interested to train and unsure do drop us a call, Text message or email and we will inform you when and where we will be having training.

For this Thursday 19/5/2011, Training will begin at 7pm OUTSIDE MPSH 2. Do take note.

Have fun and continue to train hard for the holidays.

~Axe

Kelvin Kwek

A Game Within The Game

2011-05-04T13:21:00.003+08:00

Ola camaras! Was browsing capoeira videos for stress release yesterday, and I found an angola video that demonstrates very well the various types of chamadas. I thought it'll be useful for those who aren't clear what is a chamada, especially since now we explore more regional techniques than angola.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWlwRovRXlQ
(dunno why I cant embed >< The game starts around 1:30, and do watch it till finished.. some nice exchanges at 3:17 and 5:00)

A bit about the chamada, taken from the book Ring of Liberation : Deceptive discourse in Brazilian capoeira by John Lowell (available in NLB, and a very good book for malicia-lacking people such as myself >< also one of the best I've read regarding capoeira history, philosophy and rituals.)

In angola style, the jogo is by no means a seamless flow of continuous action, but is usually broken up by several types of 'inner games' or subroutines. The most common kind of diversion is called chamada de mandinga, or chamada de bençao. (Chamada means 'call', thus this is a 'call of the mandinga' or 'call to the blessing'). The signal for chamada is one player (the 'caller') stop moving and spread his arms wide, leaving himself open... When a player sees his opponent open himself in an invitation to a chamada, he might respond by attacking immediately, since it would seem to be prime opportunity.. but an angola player will rarely attack immediately, both because he is aware that a chamada is being signalled, and because direct attacks are foreign to the esthetic of deception, which celebrates indirectness. The convention is for the one being 'called' to put on a solo demonstration, to 'show his stuff', partly in order to proof that, far from being tired, he is still able to perform the most complex acrobatics, called 'floreios' (flourishes). Such exhibitions are also entertaining for the spectators, of course. After such moves, the soloist cautiously approaches his opponent, who has not moved the entire time, but is still in his stationary, open posture. The task of the moving player is to come close to the 'caller' and join hands with him, always on the alert for an attack. The closer he gets the more the tension heightens, since in the near range a sudden elbow or knee is hard to avoid. The stationary player is also on intense guard since he is vulnerable as well, and if his back is turned he usually turns his head to the side in order to watch his opponent out of the corner of his ete. The players join one of both hands after they come together and, side by side, step backward a few paces and forward a few, in a kind of walk or dance... After a few steps in each direction, one player offers the other the floor, in the same gesture used for the saida, and the tension heightens again as the players separate. Usually the first player to make a break for the open floor receives a kick from the other, or sometimes the kick itself will be the signal to break and resume normal play. The chamada activities serve as subroutines which intensify the action by forcing the players into close proximity, thereby heightening the tension. They also serve as tests for both players, to see if they are able to approach and separate while remaining protected against attack. Often the chamadas are accompanied by many small feints, almost like fidgets, to feel out the opponent, to see if he is guarding a certain point.

___
alrite, now watch the video once again n try to spot these stuff! =D

for those with a few days left before exams are finished, persevere!

cheers!

shiela

Batizado!!!

2011-04-28T23:17:00.003+08:00

Hey guys,

The prices for Batizado are finally out, please disseminate this to your respective schools:

Adults $200 with cord, $180 without cord
Students $120 with cord, $100 without cord

The date: 9 - 12 of June. Venue will be each of the various schools.

To secure your participation in the grading, every student will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of $50 by 15May 2011.

Spread the word to your schools!

Best
TK

Note: For the newer members who don't know what batizado is, click on the "batizado" link on the right side of the page.

All NUS capoeiristas are encouraged to go for this event... so long as you have been with us for 1 semester :)

-faizal

Exam Updates

2011-04-27T15:12:00.001+08:00

Hey camaras,

Studying well?

In case your capoeira heart is beating for a roda, come down for our (unofficial) training every Thursday, 7pm at YIH to destress. We know you need it!

If you're still thirsting for some axe, we also have trainings on the following days:

Monday (HQ trainings)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Orchard Central

Tuesday
Time: 8pm
Venue: SMU

What's more, this Sunday (1st May 2011) we are having a Xango Monthly Roda::
Time: 3pm
Venue: SCAPE
Come join capoeiristas from the other branches and HQ to celebrate the end of the semester in a great big roda!

May the Axe be with you!

- Rosinha

Elections for AY2011/2012 Committee

2011-03-19T13:58:00.003+08:00

Hi camaradas,

It's been a great year for Capoeira NUS and it really warms my heart to see how the club has grown from strength to strength. Whether it's the seniors taking charge and sharing whatever they know with the juniors or the newer members stepping up and volunteering to help out at events and stepping up to lead songs - I hope I can speak for everyone when I say that Capoeira NUS is a place where you can feel a sense of belonging; a place where you can recharge in the middle of the crazy week and just put everything aside and feel refreshed after jogo-ing.

But in order for the club to keep growing, we need to inject some new blood into the committee so that the club can benefit from the new ideas. That's part and parcel of the renewal process.

Arnold has already spoken to the club about it so do take the weekend to let the thought 'incubate' in your head. Have a look at the list of committee positions up for elections and think about whether you are suitable for the job and would like to run for it.

Here are the positions and the current position-holders:

1. Chairperson - Arnold

2. Vice-chairperson (internal) - Tiang Tiang

3. Vice-chairperson (external) - Faizal

4. Treasurer - Toshi

5. Secretary - Angeline and Shen (double team ftw!)

If you have any questions regarding the specific job scopes of each position just drop us an email or ask us next training personally and we'll be more than happy to share our experiences with you.

-Faizal

"Joga bonito que eu quero ver"

2011-03-12T01:12:00.003+08:00

Hi camaradas!

A question that got my mind jumbled in a knot was asked:
"How should you play/react when the other capoeirista in the roda with you is getting 'rough'?"

Disclaimer - i'm merely an aluno that is approaching this question with an answer that i myself would most likely apply given that situation. Therefore, any disagreement to my SOP is duly justified. (feel like i'm giving away my 'gameplan' but... waddaheck haha)

It's a really tricky question because so many factors may be considered before you take your next action against your opponent (which branches further into further mindmapping... so on so forth!):
1) "What's my level of playing relative to my parter?"

2) "Is this play in line with the tempo & ground-rules of the roda?"

3) "Do i want to play along?"

1a) Is my opponent my mestre/ instructor/ senior-of-several-grades-higher? You're most probably in good hands because a mestre could have already identified your level of play & may just be mischievious to want to 'shake you up' a bit or test if you're going to apply what's been taught. And they seldom send juniors flying haha. (Can't say the same for Mestre-to-seniors game haha)
1b) Is my opponent my junior/ same level? You have been placed on level ground; you have as much (if not more) experience as your partner and it falls on you to attempt to engage (if not steer) the game to be a beautiful one. You will be learning, as well as teaching, with the next few actions you make against your partner.
1c) Is my opponent a stranger? 'A box of chocolates' or 'a can of worms', It is best to stay cautious and read the game... As my seniors have told me when i was still brand new to Capoeira, a more experienced Capoeirista would probably compra you out soon after if they feel your still green to opening 'a can of worms' haha.

2) Define "rough"play? Would it be considered "rough" if the leader of the roda gives instruction that its 'jogo de dentro' and the berimbau is slamming 'regional' toques at lightning speed? Or is your partner going in the direction of 'regional' direction when the berimbau is sounding at a regularly paced 'banguela' toque? It is part of going with the flow of conduct with the roda that makes the game beautiful as well.

3) Do i want to play along? The ultimate 'answer a question with a question' solution: what do u want? Are u on the brink of having your heart jump out of ur chest and ur gonna decided to leave the 'roughing' for another compra later? Or are u as Axe-intoxicated that you want to have a go at it too (doing it beautifully, of course)? Remember that the decision falls on you. e.g. if tired: volta mundo to catch your breath, play defensive (also allows u to watch,learn,counter-attack)...etc. The most important thing i personally feel is "Don't lose your head" (both mentally and physically haha).

To close my answer, remember that what happens in the roda stays in the roda, and that anything within the roda goes, because the second u step into the roda, you're already in the game... and that game is life :) (so deep i myself don't get it... LOL)

Title for this post is a portion taken from the song "Donna Maria":

"Joga bonito que eu quero ver, jogo bonito que eu aprende"
or
"Play beautifully because i want to see, play beautifully because i want to learn"

Of the 4 videos you have seen above, which of the 4 appeals to you? Which strikes you as "beautiful"?

Capoeira is an art and it is up to an individual to find what it means to them personally. Do consider though, that an art is not fully appreciated until the artiste has held this gem in his hands and has viewed its multi-faceted sides before favoring the preferred direction to honing the art, just as a jeweller handling raw precious stones, not having done so would be like subjecting yourself to Plato's Allegory of the cave or Aesop's Frog in the well, and a waste of a potentially valuable jewel that would be.

Capoeira can be summed up to be: Acrobatic, martial art, dance, performance, music, philospohy, history & culture. It's probably one of these aspects of capoeira that've attracted us to this artform in the first place. Ironically, it's probably one of these same aspects that shunned would-be newcomers to Capoeira. E.g. someone coming in w the expectation of learning a 'dance' gets put off by Capoeira's 'fight' nature, or someone coming in w the expectation of learning a 'fight' gets put off by Capoeira's 'dance' nature. Yet, WE know that with a little further probing, a dancer would see the 'Dance' and the fighter would see the 'Fight' in Capoeira.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Axe!
Morcego

Hantam those mid-terms, camaras!

2011-03-04T11:40:00.005+08:00

A bit of entertainment for everyone =)

And now for the encouragement bit:

And something from a gymnastic coach, about doing new moves, attempting the difficult ones, but which I think is also applicable to life in general:

"For 90 per cent of the kids, a lot of fear is involved. The solution is hard, but simple - just do it again and again. "It’s going to be scary the first time, by the second time, it will be half as scary. And by the time you’ve done it a hundred times, you won't remember what you were afraid of in the first place."

Hugs all 'round,
shiela

1st ever Capoeira CIP event!!!

2011-03-02T11:49:00.002+08:00

Hey guys,

This project has been in the making for a loooong looong time and we have Arnold to thank for conceiving it. I'm pretty excited to be given the opportunity to spearhead this project and I invite all of you to come aboard and help out with this event. What's in it for you: You get to do good and be part of NUS Capoeira history!

In two weeks from now, NUS Capoeira will host a group of 30 children from Fei Yue CCS and conduct a capoeira enrichment programme for them. If interacting with kids is your thing, do volunteer to come down and help out in the event.

The details are as follows:-

Date and Time: 15th March, 4-6pm

Venue: YIH Amphitheatre

We're gonna have a roda as well for the kids so we hope the whole club can come down so we can give them an impactful performance to remember. After all, we can't have a roda with 1 person! (That'd be a voador...) Who knows, the kids might get inspired and grow up to be Eddy Gordos and Lateef Crowders someday...

Thanks goes out to Liani, Ken (Mumia) and Soong Ming for helping me coordinate everything ranging from transport to refreshment sponsorships.

Yes, you read it right - there'll be refreshments.

If the words "CIP", "Kids", "Roda" and "Refreshments" are not enough to entice you I guess you're a boring capoeirista who just trains, doesn't eat much, and hates being around happy bouncy young people. (just kidding... seriously, if you can't make it due to school commitments we perfectly understand!)

That's all for now. I'll give you more updates nearer to the actual date. If any of you have any questions e.g. ("How old are the kids?"; "What refreshments will be served?" "Will I get any CCA points?"; "I can't teach capoeira. Can I still help?") just direct them to me and I'll decide whether to answer them or give you a bencao :P

-Bom Garoto

Mestre Xuxo vs Mestre Poncianinho

2011-03-01T16:41:00.004+08:00

Angola forms, but regional speed and flourishes at times.. Not sure what to call it.. Fast, slow, fast, slow, amazing controls and still looks so fun, so much like a 'game'!

And another 'fast angola' from the two mestres we are somewhat familiar with:

Enjoy!

shiela

Recess Week Updates

2011-02-20T11:19:00.004+08:00

Hey guys,

Here's the rundown on the capoeira action happening this week:

1. Group Roda @ Scape on 26th Feb, Saturday
Time: 4-6pm
Venue: *Scape

We'll be having an event with Grid NMS after that so come check out the flash mob and crazy cosplayers.

2. NUS Training
As per normal:-
Tues 7-9pm @ SRC Dance Studio
Thu 7-9pm @ MPSH2

-Bom Garoto

Injuries - Part 2

2011-02-18T09:30:00.004+08:00

Long, long overdue, sorry >< but now that it's holidays I'll try to finish the injury series. (Stuff coming up: ankle injuries, knee injuries, back injuries, and de-conditioning >< )

Soooo...how does one prevent common capoeira injuries? *though..as we keep saying.. most of our injuries happen outside capoeira huhuhu.. just got injured last saturday and if you ask me, injury prevention means not ogling at things when walking just beside a ditch! >< ) Anyway, some tips I got:

1. Take time to learn the proper form and technique. That's because incorrect technique will cause unnecessary pull and strain on your muscles

2. Do a warm up. I used to underestimate it until I had a foot injury and the Chinese shinshe kept emphasising that if I stubbornly want to go back to training fast, I gotta do proper warm-ups >< A guide I read advises to spend 15mins on the major muscle groups. Thumbs-up Liani for really turning on the heat before sessions begin! ^^
(and others, of course, but somehow Liani goes for the kill during warm ups..)

3.Don't overtrain *k I know it's quite difficult to gauge this one especially with so much passion bubbling inside some of you.. Not sure how to solve it too but maybe pain in the joints during training is a symptom? That's when your joints are overused.) By the way, dehydration contributes to overuse and fatigue injuries, so do drink up! (no, Sapo, not Asahi..)

Athletes that train more consecutive days actually have more injuries, AND rest is a critical component of training because it's during the resting period that your body re-builds the muscles stronger.

4. I guess also, a balance between knowing your own limits and pushing those limits.. Gotta say that it does help in capoeira to have a certain gung-ho, fearless attitude hahaha.. So use your own discretion for this one too.

5. If you have a history of ankle/knee injuries, it's a good idea to wear braces. You can go to Gabriel to find out more =)

Sometimes though... You're just suey and injuries happen... What to do next?
1. Stop training immediately. Prevent further damage!
2. Treat the injury. Now the interesting thing is.. the Western way believes in applying cold/ice to sprains while the Chinese way is to apply heat(using ointments).. Personal experience of mine and a friend.. The shinshes actually told us not to apply cold next time we have such injuries. The basis of it? Cold is used to reduce swelling and inflammation since it encourages constriction of blood vessels so your sprained ankle won't get so swollen, but heat encourages more blood flow to the area which actually helps it recover faster. (I personally believe in the Chinese way haha..)

And then the next crucial question..
When to get back to training after injury?

Some guidelines:
1.Do you know, one thing that improves the chance and speed of injury recovery is... high-level of conditioning prior to the injury! Oh wow. More motivation for Alif's "10 minutes of Hell" sessions next time ;p
2. Once your strength and flexibility returns, go back into the sport at 50% - 70% max capacity for several weeks. Use your own body discomfort as a guide.
3. Ideally, you are pain free.
4. No swelling
5. Ideally, you have recovered your range of motion (Compared injured part with non-injured part)
6. Full/ close to full strength.
7. For lower body injuries: can bear the full weight without limping
(notice I say ideally for some parts because.. heck some of us are masochists ;p )

K just general info, but hope that can come in useful.

Have a great, fun, relaxing, refreshing, recharging but also ultra-productive mid-sem break, everyone!
For your entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfiRZ0WDTnA (I cant embed it.. but I guarantee you are entertained ;p )

shiela

Lou Yu Sheng @ NUS

2011-02-01T00:14:00.003+08:00

Hi guys,

Just to remind everyone, NUS Capoeira will be having Yu Sheng right after training on later today. Those of you not tuned into the significance of the ritual and it's meanings yet can check out this article. Don't miss out on this opportunity to "toss up good fortune"!

//those who want to get dean's list, gf, roundoff-triple backflip-disappear into thin air etc better come :)

(b/c i cldn't find a pic of our own. Morcego - u have it?)

-bom garoto

Floreio, what?

2011-01-25T23:35:00.002+08:00

Was gonna write a quick post about floreios to fully address KY's qs in the comment to the earlier blog post. But a quick check with Mestre Google yielded the following blog post that sums up what floreios are all about, the benefits etc much much better than i cld've ever done.

The blog also contains lotsa good capoeira exercises (some of you may remember we did the Horse Walk, Lizard Walk etc... last yr. Those were inspired by his blog).

So, without further ado, here's the link to the post: "The Floreio Art"

If you're like me and like it enough - drop by a lil' bit earlier on Sunday for Aliff's floreio session. Enjoy!

-bom garoto

NUS Capoeira Upcoming Activities

2011-01-25T00:39:00.004+08:00

Hey guys,

Lots of activities coming up soon

1) Our very own Capoeira NUS Day Retreat to Pulau Ubin

29/1/2011 Saturday

Itinerary courtesy of Liani:

Meeting Time & Place:
whichever is more convenient,
- 9am (Outram Park MRT), or
- 10am (Tanah Merah MRT)

Itinerary
- head to Pulau Ubin, rent a bicycle, and explore the island!
- hopefully by 5pm (depending on how much fun we have & how our capoeira timing might work that day), we will head to Angeline's place for a BBQ!

Food:
Halal. We've also ordered some vegetarian food, so do not fret!

Don't forget to bring:
- umbrella (just in case!)
- extra clothes & towel
- waterbottle
- extra pocket money in case you might want to eat along the way!
- and of course, positive energy and axe!
- ID to rent the bike

If you have any queries, please contact:
Van (82355 988) and Liani (8317 0059)
Also, please remember to confirm if you are going (and where you would like to meet) to either one of us by this Wednesday night.

2) Monthly Roda & Pre Roda Floeiros session by Aliff at Scape

30th January 2011, Sunday @ SCAPE

Hey guys!

Its our time of the month again! Time to put on your whites for the time of the month! This sunday, 30th January at SCAPE, same spot, same place.

By the way, 1 hour before the session there will be a floreio session by Alif!

Time for Floreios: 330pm - 430pm

TIme for Roda : 430pm - 630pm

3) Lou Yu Sheng @ NUS or Chinese Raw Fish & Fish Maw prosperity luck producing salad for all those who need a translation After our training on Tuesday, 1/2/2011

4) Helping out @ an orphanage, Faizal will update us about this up coming event but it is our club's CIP event, in short we are gonna bring Fun, Laughter, Peace, Joy and most importantly AXE to the people.

Happy lunar new year 恭喜发财, 步步高升 or in Portuguese: Avante e para cima!

Salve
~Kelvin

It's that time of the month!

2011-01-24T23:17:00.002+08:00

..nope, am not talking about mass-PMS ><..

Monthly roda, yay! And I quote:

"This sunday, 30th January at SCAPE, same spot, same place.

By the way, 1 hour before the session there will be a floreio session by Alif!

Time for Floreios: 330pm - 430pm

TIme for Roda : 430pm - 630pm

Love Love

TK "

If any new member happens to read this, monthly roda is just like what Arnold said, the usual axe multiplied by 10! It might even be life-changing, camaradas! =D

shiela *I should ask someone else to post something soon else I'll be accused of hogging the blog >< *

The Heartbeat of the Roda

2011-01-24T11:04:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone!

Guess which instrument I think is the heartbeart of the roda? Yep, it's the atabaque alright, that solid, dignified instrument so dear to my heart =D

For an introduction to the instrument and basic tips on playing it, check out this article written by our own senior, Pek a.k.a Cabure: http://nuscapoeira.blogspot.com/2008/08/pup-tum.html

Aaaanyway, seems to me that the atabaque is somewhat neglected at times because, of course, everyone bows to the almighty berimbau ;p No complaints in that, but the more I delve into the history and variations, the more fascination I feel for the atabaque.

For one, there is actually a debate on whether the berimbau was used first in the roda, or was it percussion instruments rather similar to the atabaque? Popular notion holds that the berimbau came in first, also bearing in mind that it is much lighter and more portable, hence easier to bring around for rodas. However, looking at the influences surrounding capoeira, in candomble actually there are 3 berimbaus being used. (By the way, just like there are 'gunga', 'medio' and 'viola' for different tone setting of the berimbau, the low tone atabaque is called 'rum', and the high tone called 'le'. The middle tone, 'rumpi', is never used in a roda.)

A video clip showing how an atabaque duet can be:

And another one to show the candomble rhythm:

Ow and the last bit of interesting information... Atabaque and berimbau toques are usually played 4:4 (the rhythm contained in a bar made of 4 beats.. If you really wanna know just ask me next practice), but there is one toque that uses 6:8 beats, which is called toque Cavalaria.. and it is used.. to warn the capoeiristas that the police are approaching!! =D

Hope that can entertain away a bit of the Monday blues! =)

shiela

On Injuries (Part 1)

2011-01-21T11:50:00.002+08:00

Well, since the club started the year with 2 head injuries, 1 ankle injury, 1 leg injury and broken finger... and reflecting back on how ankle injuries seem to be the trend last year.. not to mention Sapo's repetitive back injury and Morcego's knee.. I think we need a series of posts on injuries, prevention, rehabilitation etc so everyone can benefit. (Of course my sources will mostly come form the net and as such take it with a pinch of salt.. I'll try to ask Alif to comment from time to time.)

The first post in the series.. is inspired by dear Charlotte looking really sad when she had to just sit on the side watching us train yesterday, and how Kelvin insisted on training but had to be careful not to exert his right ankle..

Oftentimes, capoeiristas train when they are injured or when they have not recovered fully. I am guilty of this too (2 counts of ankle sprain last year), because it's just sooooo miserable watching your camaradas do the moves and not be able to do anything, and you're afraid of de-conditioning (where you lose a significant amount of your aerobic and muscle abilities after not training for some time.. more on that in next posts), the music is calling you, and besides we're still young, and plus it's supposed to be mind over matter, right?

Well,a bit of patience might really help in the long term. I don't exactly know the statistics but I went to google 'quit capoeira because of injury' and the things that came up were scary enough >< I personally know several people who had to quit gymnastics, dance, capoeira because of injuries and really, the common line of thought is : "What could I have done better or differently so that I can still have dance/ gymnastics/capoeira in my life?" I haven't had any serious injuries but I think if I do and I have to stay off capoeira for some months.. the thought of having to quit capoeira if I don't take proper care is probably the only one that can keep me from getting 'itchy'!

Alif said once, "the faster you peak, the faster you plateau and drop.. the slower you peak, the slower the drop also..." .. which reminds me of what my friend told me about 'shooting stars' - people who shine so brilliantly just for awhile, but disappears after that.. tragic, I say!

So for those who are recovering now and wanting to push their limits, hey sure, but also chill a bit, listen to your body, and remember capoeira is a lifelong love affair.. you have time =)

Much love and concern,
Shiela

XANGO!!

2011-01-14T11:12:00.003+08:00

Well, well..finally Zambiacongo is no longer (just the name, our Mestre and the organisation structure is still the same), replaced by... Xango!!

When I got the sms from Bom Garoto, first thought was: "Xango.. sounds familiar..", second thought was: "...why Xango?" When Prof. Caracol announced the possibility of a name change during workshop, it generated a bit of a buzz.. Some of us wondered if the new name would have the same 'Ooomph!' as Zambiacongo.. In the end, Xango it is!

Here's a round-up again of "Why Xango?" for those who missed the session with Alif (and also, for posterity =D )

1. 'Xango' in capoeira was used to refer to any movement that involves back flip/ backhand spring, and when you see topless guys in white pants, doing back flip movements, the word that comes to mind would be, "Capoeira!"

(Apparently Mestre Luiz and his brother were watching an old capoeira video with this movement when he was inspired to take the name.)

Nowadays, the 'xango' movements have been divided out into more specific moves: macaquinho, macaco, salto mortal, etc.

2. Apparently though, there was a bit of a problem because Xango is also the name of an 'orisha' (spirit) in the candomble religion (the African religion brought over by slaves to Brazil.. maybe a post on that next time?) and since Mestre does not practice candomble, he does not want the group to be associated with spirits.. (Little did he know how some of NUS capoeira members love Exu.. >< ) In the end, to differentiate it, the orisha's name is spelt 'Xangô' but our group's name is 'Xango' (without the 'rooftop' on the 'o' haha..)

Coincidentally, Xangô is a protective and loving orisha who is worshiped with singing and and dancing, and the rhythm used for that is.. barravento! Which is Mestre's apelido haha.. Check out the rhythm here:

Plus! The skin color of the orisha is red, which is... Mestre's favorite color!

And there you have it.. The two definite signs that we should be called Xango =D

A bit about the deity...

Xangô was the fourth king of the Oyo people of Africa, who brought prosperity to his kingdom. He died by committing suicide and entered the pantheon of gods, becoming the Sky Father, the God of Thunder and Lightning. He is a symbol of the African resistance against European powers, and is in turn symbolized by the oshe (double-headed axe) representing swift and balanced justice. (Isn't it cool that 'Axe' is his weapon? ;p ) He rules the colour red and white. (Singapore flag yay! ;p ) Apparently also, Xangô has three wives >< (maybe the reason he committed suicide? ) He is a protector, and loves music.. He owns three Bata (double-headed drums)! And he can breathe fire from his mouth.. if that is not cool, I don't know what is!

For those who want to know more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shango

http://juicyr.blogspot.com/2009/05/xango.html

(the origin of Xangô is particularly interesting)

Que roda maravilhosa e essa

E o Xango capoeira

Em cada som, em cada toque, em cada ginga

Tem um estilo de jogo...

2011-01-12T20:13:00.001+08:00

Hey guys we will be having training on Thursday 12 Jan, 2011 @ MPSH.

Training will start at 7pm so be early for warm up. See you guys there!

~Kelvin

Welcome Tea 2011 Sem 2

2011-01-11T01:40:00.010+08:00

Tuesday 11th Jan & Tuesday 18th Jan 2011 Welcome Tea

Interested in picking up something new this semester? Come try out Capoeira - an afro-brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts,music, and dance. You've seen it in Ong Bak. You've seen it in Tekken. Now, we invite you to see for yourself what Capoeira is like - right here in NUS.

Absolutely no background is necessary. Just come with an open mind and we'll share with you the basics of Capoeira: starting with the ginga (basic fighting stance); followed by two kicks - the martelo and meia lua de frente; and lastly, the esquiva (dodge). At the end of the Welcome Tea, you'll get a chance to join the roda (lit: wheel) where a game of Capoeira is played and use the moves that you've learned.

The Welcome Teas will be held on Tuesday over the next two weeks and you only need to choose 1 date to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

See you guys at the Dance Studio 7pm.

The Dance Studio is at the Sports Recreation Centre near the swimming pool above the rock climbing gym.

Training on 6th Jan, 2011 (Thursday)

2011-01-05T01:10:00.002+08:00

Hey guys we will be having training on Thursday 6th Jan, 2011 @ MPSH.

Training will start at 7pm so be early for warm up. See you guys there!

~Kelvin

Training @ SMU 4th January 2011

2011-01-01T16:59:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year to one and all!

1st post of 2011.

We will be having training at SMU on the 4th of Jan @ SMU.

The class will be most likely led by Formado James so do come down.

Time should be evening 6.30 so do be early.

Cheers!

Thursday Training 30th December 2010

2010-12-28T15:01:00.003+08:00

Hey everyone,

Merry X'mas and Happy New Year!

This will most defnitely be our last training for the year at NUS on Thursday 30th Dec.

Training will be at 7 P.M @ MPSH so do come down if you guys can make it!

Best regards & happy holidays,

~Kelvin

Christmas Roda

2010-12-17T02:04:00.002+08:00

Hello all!

Greetings from Penang. Hope you guys have been enjoying yourselves as much as you can... while waiting for results day haha.

Anyway, here's something more fun to look forward to - a ZC tradition - the Christmas Roda! For the month of December, the monthly roda is gonna be a little special. This roda will be our annual Xmas Roda!! It's gonna be held next thursday, 23rd December at 7.30pm, @Scape (near Somerset MRT). Bring a gift of not more than $5 for a fun gift exchange!! Those who don't give will get a nice beautiful tesoura!

We will be carolling, so practice your vocal chords!

Oh, and if you've been wondering what those of us from Penang have been up to - I just have this to say... FOOD, FOOD and more FOOD! And some Capoeira of course. Thanks to Liani, we had a chance to train with the capoeiristas from Senzala.

Happy holidays :)

-Bom Garoto

TRAINING ON THURSDAY 16th DECEMBER 2010

2010-12-14T22:43:00.004+08:00

Hey everyone

We will be having training at MPSH on THURSDAY 16th December @ 7pm,

Bryan aka the Morecegao will be leading training so do come down and train together and learn from one another. Have fun stay safe and axe~ everyone.

Salve,
Kelvin

Training on Friday

2010-12-06T00:50:00.003+08:00

Alright people, after the fantastic feast at Shiela's it's time to work our butts off and get back into shape!

First training of the holidays shall be held this Friday, 7pm outside MPSH1.

But if Friday's too far off and you're itching to train, you can join a group of us who are going down to HQ this evening to train.

Those with unexpended Axé and wanna train on Tuesday pls drop me an sms so I can coordinate an informal training.

Salve Capoeira!

-Bom Garoto

Tricking at ECP this Sunday!

2010-12-01T12:56:00.002+08:00

per Macaquinho:

"5th Dec 2010, 3-5pm, ECP Fitness Corner, Tricking Session.

Don't come if you are intending to be late as late comers will not be entertained.
Get sore and go home sore."

letttttt's go!!!!

-Bom Garoto

Of Pecs, and Tights, and who the h*** let the dogs out??!!!

2010-11-26T21:21:00.002+08:00

Haven't been checking out capoeira videos for some time, and well, I thought those peeps taking exams might need some entertainment too, so check this out.

The first one is a cool video of ultra-graceful super-expert capoeiristas.. you know, those people who make it look totally effortless while us mere mortals wish we can reach 10% of their level.. Wonder why the opening shot is a(very) well-built torso,though >.<

Second one... uhm I am ashamed to admit it's from Indonesia.. but yeah, if you've ever wondered how to do capoeira to the tune of 'Who let the dogs out' ...

Muito axe!
shiela

Monthly Roda (Exam Edition)

2010-11-23T19:28:00.004+08:00

date: Sunday, 28th Nov

time: 4-6pm

venue: *Scape (near somerset mrt)

Because I've been uninspired lately, I believe the best way to promote the roda would be to share our dear president's words (loosely paraphrased based on my memory):

"The roda is only for 2h. You can't possibly study the whole day."

Hmm... food for thought indeed. Anw, I'll be there so if you wanna come you know who to look for :)

All d best for your remaining papers!

Cheers,

Faizal

New Songs

2010-11-03T21:38:00.003+08:00

These are the 2 songs that Macaquinho wanted to share with us yesterday. We did the first but didn't have time for the second. I couldn't find the songs online but if anyone does (*looks at Shiela) then please share k? Enjoy!

1.)

Da ta hora que jogar, vai mou lar vai dia

Da ta hora que jogar, vai mou lar vai dia

Eu vou eu vou, vou vai dia

Eu vou eu vou, vou vai dia

2.)

[Chorus]

Meu camarada venha vera brincadeira

Meu camarada venha vera brincadeira

[Solo]

O Cara Planta Bananeira Fica De Prena Pro Ar Jai Meu Falar Que Se Luta Brasileira

Que se chamar capoeira eu tam bem quero jogar

-Bom Garoto

Newsflash!!

2010-10-25T15:30:00.007+08:00

..so much so I can't resist blogging about it in the middle of studio haha.. For those who have not yet known about it, Faizal a.k.a our Bom Garoto got the first position in the beginner category, and Sanny a.k.a Cantor got the third position in the advanced category for the Zambiacongo Asia-Pacific capoeira tournament.

Congraaaaaaaaatz!!! We are so DAMN PROUD of both of u!

Special edition pics of our winners:

and because I think it's not complete without putting another pic of our female ambassador:

Oh and, welcome back home!

P.S I think we should all try pestering Bom Garoto to treat us the next supper =D

Honored to convey the glad tidings,
shiela

Additional workshop info

2010-10-21T20:04:00.001+08:00

Hi all!
For those who wants to know the workshop fee if you cannot attend for all 3 days, here's the new info:

Single day workshop:
Friday - working adult $16, student $10
Saturday, working adult $32, student $20
Sunday - working adult $32, student $20

An additional $5 administrative fee will be levied on payments for package deal (the full 3 days package) made on workshop day itself.
So quick find Sapo and give him the dough! ><

Cheers!
Shiela

Bits of Inspiration

2010-10-15T16:58:00.002+08:00

..because we all need them =)

Just want to quote what was said to us during training last Tuesday (Loosely quoted, since my memory of it has faded a bit, but correct me if I'm wrong) :

"You want capoeira. You come here for capoeira. The first thing that you must change is your attitude towards training. Not thinking that 'Wah training so shiong, don't want to come ah..' If you think like that, you fail. You fail to understand that the human body is so tough. It can take a lot of things."

Since long ago, I wholeheartedly believe that the human body is tough, but that belief was only manifested in eating whatever roadside food I desire when I go back to Indonesia.. Time to apply it to a different matter..

Well, to encourage all of us to stick t the training regime when the going gets tough, here's a video just to remind ourselves just how beautiful capoeira is, just how worth it are those physically and mentally demanding sessions when we bit by bit gain power, control and balance..

"Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"If you train hard, you'll not only be hard - you'll be hard to beat."
- Herschel Walker

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it will last forever."
- Lance Armstrong

Shiela

Milo of Crotona

2010-10-15T16:39:00.006+08:00

Sometime ago, Alif talked about Milo of Crotona in relation to strength training. Basically, he was a wrestler who lived in Athens, 6th century BC, renowned because he was 5 times wrestling champion of the ancient Olympiad. On top of that, he was also a mathematician, a philosopher, and a military leader! Talk about well-rounded.. Haha.. (You can read more about him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_of_Crotona )

Anyway, this Milo of Crotona apparently trained by hoisting a calf onto his shoulders everyday since young, and as the calf grew into a bull, he became strong enough to lift up the bull.

Lucky bull must be enjoying the daily ride...

Progressive strength training at its most impressive. When I was reading around about him, I came across an interesting blog about fitness and strength training, and the author, for fun, wrote an imaginary training log for dear Milo: (click to enlarge)

Ok, by now you might be laughing and dismissing it as mere myth... Wait till you check out this guy:

Damn right, people.. Modern day Milo! With a very macho name like H.E Mann, to boot..
Well, hope you enjoyed that bit of trivia, and... anyone importing a calf from Indonesia soon? ;p

Shiela

Intermezzo

2010-10-05T14:28:00.017+08:00

Well, well.. Some of us have been missing trainings here and there (yours truly guilty as charged..), and at least for me capoeira is a happy activity I wouldn't miss if I could, so to skip training usually signifies that you have a less-happy affair that demands your attention.. ><

Mid-terms, for one.. Hope everyone's okay? No body parts missing? For those who feels like the stress and expectations from mid-terms are killing them.. jia you! Then again, I'm sure there are those who wish that their worst problems is something as trivial as the mid-terms..

Whatever it is, one thing I love about capoeira and the club is that you don't need to tell people blatantly about your problems to feel a sense of camaraderie and having people around who sincerely cares.. That has helped me a lot these two semesters each time I take a 'mental beating' from studio =) So, in the family spirit, let me try to bring a bit of cheer... (btw ppl, CLICK TO ENLARGE yeah ;p )
P.S. Was talking to another 'older' member that we're very lucky the new members this time are very enthusiastic, because that really helps to carry the dynamics of the club. I cannot agree more =)

Hugs all 'round,
Shiela

Monthly Roda!!

2010-10-02T12:55:00.005+08:00

Hi NUS Capoeiristas,

First of all, Happy Childrens Day to everyone~!

It's October now which means that it's time once again for that special monthly event that we've all been waiting for :)

Here are the details for October's monthly roda:

Time: 4pm

Venue: *Scape sky terrace lvl 3

http://gothere.sg/maps#q:*scape

We'll meet at 3:15 at Somerset MRT and head down together as a club. Those going there directly, please be there by 3.30pm so that we can all warm-up and start on time.

Here's some pics from the last one held at SMU:

As you can see, it was intense and fun. The roda this Sunday shouldn't be any different - it's gonna be full of intense fun just like the previous one.

Those of you who have completed your midterms, you have no reason to miss this. Those of you who are still having midterms but feel tired/ burnt out from all the mugging, this is the perfect outlet to destress ;)

Salve Capoeira!

-Bom Garoto

Workshop and Performance at ITE College East Tmrw 11-1pm

2010-09-24T15:36:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, this is last minute but if u're game for it pls reply to Shiela or Faizal.
The Warriors of Brazil Capoeira performance group is going to
ITE Collge East for a performance and workshop tmrw. I think it's free for our students. It's from 11-1pm and there is limited availability. Pelase revert to
Shiela or Faizal by 4.30pm so they can help you register.

Cheers,
Kelvin

BBQ Matters

2010-09-22T11:17:00.000+08:00

Details
Time and place: Friday, 24th Sept, gather at 5.30 pm Toa Payoh MRT

Update: For those people coming late, here's the map to my place:
http://gothere.sg/maps#q:from%20toa%20payoh%20mrt%20to%20trellis%20towers

We've ordered otah, satay, drumlets and squid from the BBQ wholesale, but they're all from the protein group! So, to make a nutritious BBQ we still need:

1. carbohydrates - bread, potatoes, marshmallow (high GI, but still..), noodles
2. vitamins and minerals, a.k.a veggies and fruits - corn, tomatoes, capsicum, banana, mushrooms
3. water - bottled drinks
4. fats *the stuff that is not at all nutritious but makes life worth living* - chips, keropoks, chocolate
5. alcohol.. but I'm assuming some of the seniors are already super-excited to bring this hahaha..

Other stuff we need:
6. speakers for music? can we borrow the mini speakers from the cupboard? oh, and people with decent iTunes playlist since mine is hopeless.
7. entertainment - cards, games,etc. if some of you wanna do b-boy battle, we're totally cool with that ^^

Did I miss anything?
OK now the interactive part.. if you want to volunteer to bring anything, just post it as a comment below so everybody knows what other stuff to bring. Even if you're just gonna bring one bottled drink or a packet of chips, it counts!

See you all Friday!

Shiela

Songs 16.09.10

2010-09-17T11:38:00.002+08:00

Here's the song we learnt today, 'Berimbau Chamou Voce'. We learnt only the chorus and not yet the full song, because.. the capoeiraluanda website is down so I cannot search the complete lyrics ><

Ie ie ie
Berimbau chamou voce
Sim sim sim sim sim
Berimbau tocou assim

Ie ie ie
The berimbau is calling you
Yes yes yes yes yes
The berimbau is still playing *or, 'thus the berimbau is playing' *
_
And, here's the other song that we combined with it: (yeap we were technically learning two songs.. I'm cunning, I know.. ;p )

Berimbau tocou,

chamando a capoeira pra jogar,

dizendo que aquele que era bamba

hoje já não tem mais vez

todos tem o seu lugar

Corpo balancá ao ouvir o berimbau

na cadencia do jogo não quer mais parar

compreendendo a magia que em numa roda

lelele ele só quer vadiar

oh berimbau

Lyrics in the process of translation hahaha.. cuz I've translated it for myself but am still unsure on some parts.. I'll put it up as soon as I can find the translation on the net.

Great to hear everyone singing yesterday! And you know what, new members, these songs have never been sung in our roda before, so you're on par with the seniors here ^^ Show 'm what you've got yeah!

Axe!

Shiela

982 calories

2010-09-15T22:36:00.008+08:00

That was how much energy we expended during yesterday's training.

Or for those of us who relate to energy in terms of food better (i.e. all of us) - that's just about slightly more than what we get from a plate of pasta!

In Morcego's words:

"Wow nice!

Faizal, ur entitled to eat pasta after every training haha (and that's just the conditioning portion :))"

And for those of you who thought it was a '7' on the exertion scale - you were right! (assuming my data is a gd representation for everyone)

Thanks Alif for sharing this training programme with us.

My body is still aching as I'm typing this but on my part, I'm looking forward to Round 2 tomorrow!

To everyone who just joined us on Tuesday and were looking forward to learning some kicks and moves, I must apologise if you did not get what you expected (did I hear someone say 'roda'? :P). Well don't worry - we'll definitely practice some actual capoeira techniques this time round - just after the interval training ;)

Salve Capoeira!

-Bom Garoto

ps: Dahlia, Rosinha and Shiela - I'm loving the discussion on the rule of 10,000. Jiayou Shiela! may you achieve your 10,000th Au before you turn 50...

Early Morning Inspiration

2010-09-15T03:47:00.003+08:00

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10 000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10 000 times."
-Bruce Lee
_
If I do one au everyday (or average 7 per week), it's about 27 years and 3 months before I reach 10 000 au..

*Gulp....*

Still feeding off the axe from today's training,

Shiela

Mestre Luiz needs our support

2010-09-14T12:37:00.004+08:00

Yesterday night, Alif sent out a message to the ZCians. This is what he said:

"Dear ZCians,

I regret to inform u that our dear Mestre Luizinho will have to undergo a knee surgery for reconstruction/ support for his interior ligament. Therefore we can do our bit to pray for him for speedy recovery and health. You can msg him on FB, email him or call his mobile to wish him and to show your support as well. Please help to spread the word around. Thank you.

Regards,

Muhammad Alif"

So everyone from NUS Capoeira, let's pray for our Mestre and wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully we'll see him in tip-top shape again when he comes to Singapore this October for batizado.

-Bom Garoto

I'm on a highway to...

2010-09-12T02:50:00.002+08:00

Great run guys! Though as always, time is always fleeting and we could only savor 50% of the planned Capoeira Orientation run :(

Remember that staircase we passed by that looked like it led to somewhere unknown? I think i recalled someone (Jesmond?) suggesting it was a "Stairway to heaven"...haha

...well now allow me to refer to an idiom i've just learnt:
"L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés et désirs"
(The road to hell is paved with good intentions)
~St Bernard

which can be interpretated in 2 ways:
a) A sincere action may lead to undesired results, leading one into the crap-hole
b) Intentions are non-actions, which will never happen, and thus wind you up in the hole.

Ok ok guys, you're prob wondering at this point "What's the link? Wassup with the literature and philosophy, dude? Where's the capoeira updates and videos?"

Guilty! :p

You're not gonna find much Capoeira in this post of mine. However, those are a few words of wisdom to apply in our daily lives, no?

ps: the origins to this post came from a rather humorous "good intention" i was suggesting to your club's president - A charity roda for an old folk's home :) What do u think? Falling onto St Bernard's wisdom and even using the quote's double meanings of (a) & (b), either way it looks like its

"I'm on a highway to hell!"
~AC/DC

kk Capoeira vid of the day... watch out for the white-cord which is our very own Mestre Luizinho at last year's batizado in Gold Coast Australia :) ..... Benguela is liquid.

Axe!
Morcego

Training on Thursday 9/9/2010 (EDIT)

2010-09-08T18:55:00.006+08:00

Hey People,

For training tomorrow please bring along your running shoes we are gonna have some secret training.....shhhh*

Bring the axe~ as well tomorrow

Cheers

Kelvin

(edit: training today will be at MPSH6. MPSH2 is closed for a fencing competition)

10 Types of Capoeira Beginners

2010-09-02T13:04:00.002+08:00

(Article written by Shayna McHugh, taken from http://www.capoeira-connection.com/main/content/view/43/84/ )

1.The shy, underconfident beginner: Not sure if they can do capoeira, too timid/delicate with movements, backs away from partner during exercises, afraid to enter the roda. Everyone else in the group encourages them to have more confidence.

2.The overconfident, know-it-all beginner: They think they're capoeira experts after the first week of classes; they jump right into the roda, but they lack control. Imagine themselves experts because they've read a lot about capoeira on the internet, but they haven't lived any of it yet. Everyone else in the group just sighs.

3.The eager-to-learn-but-not-terribly-physically-gifted beginner: Happy about learning capoeira, but somewhat of a walking disaster, because they lack one or all of the following: strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, body control. Tend to fall badly out of handstands and cartwheels, making everyone else in the group wince and hope they're not hurt.

4.The musically/rhythmically-handicapped beginner: Whose greatest struggle is clapping on beat, ginga-ing to the right rhythm, and singing on key. Everyone else in the group admires their sincerity but wishes they wouldn't sing disharmony.

5.The floreio-happy beginner: Attracted to capoeira for the fancy movements, wants to learn headspins and backflips before ginga and meia lua. Gets housed by instructor in roda after doing a macaco into the atabaque. Everyone else in the group hopes they'll someday understand what's really important in capoeira.

6. The overaggressive beginner: Wants to play the hard game right away, kicks the other player's face when they're upside down, tries to take mestre/instructor down in roda. Everyone else in the group finds them difficult to play with.

7. The "natural" beginner: The lucky few who are physically and musically talented, who pick up everything from the rolê to the pandeiro rhythm after being shown just once. Everyone else in the group wishes they were like that when they started.

8. The "inverse" beginner: Consistently does everything to the opposite of what they're supposed to do: ginga out of phase, kicks with the right leg when everyone else is kicking with the left, aú to the left when everyone else is going to the right, usually dodges kicks in the wrong direction. Everyone else in the group wonders if the hemispheres of their brain are switched, and tries to avoid training next to them in class.

9. The other-martial-artist beginner: Has good balance and body control because of extensive experience in other arts, but trouble adjusting to new techniques. In roda, forgets to ginga and resorts to TKD/karate/judo/kung-fu stance out of habit. Everyone else in group tells them to "GINGA!!!!"

10. The former-dancer/gymnast/cheerleader beginner: Has great flexibility and grace in their movement, but tends to point toes on kicks and look at the floor during handstands and cartwheels. Everyone else in the group admires their fluidity but wishes they would play a little less pretty and a little smarter.

__

Found the article when randomly browsing, and I can't help thinking which kind of beginner I am haha.. Think it's a combination of number 3 and 8.. 'tend to fall badly out of handstands'? Tell me about it huhu..

Anyway, enjoy the article and take it lightly. Chill if you think you're not a no 7 beginner because, seriously, it is your own personal journey and the important thing is how capoeira makes a difference in you ^^

Axe!
Shiela

Sometimes you just gotta get back down

2010-08-30T23:35:00.002+08:00

First off, a big thank you to the Comm who did an amazing job handling the logistics and the location for Sunday's roda!

IMHO never had such a big Axe in a while, appreciations to those that came down for the roda/ post-roda, even if it was just a while or just to join up for dinner or just out of curiousity.

Applause to Cantor with his ladainha which would be the root cause for my energia when the angola game kicked in... which brings me to the topic of "What goes up, gets back down. Sometimes its good to get back down to your roots."

Angola - supposedly Capoeira in its raw, unrefined form. Truly a dance masking a fight:

You guys must've seen this hundreds of times and yet again its the one video i'd always 'pause, rewind & play'....'pause, rewind & play'.... A "slow" game of angola ;-)

Can you try to keep 'score' for Mestre Cobra Mensa and Mestre Espirrou marim? :)

And yet, we can see/hear Capoeira ever being evolved to match the times of today. (Check out the sounds of this vid and tell me if you can recognise it.)

Anyway guys, seniors esp....i gotta find time to practise our Maculele :)

Axe!
Morcego

Welcome Tea part Dois

2010-08-27T22:54:00.005+08:00

Thank you everyone for making the second welcome tea a great success. I may not have been in the thick of the action led by Morcego but i dare say it looked even more fun (and tiring) for our newcomers than the first. My only regret is that i didn't get to expend all my energy in a roda - which probably explains why i was feeling quite restless today hmm... But thankfully, for those of us who still have pent up axé, there's the monthly roda on Sunday to look forward to ;)

To all the newcomers - welcome to the family :)

Here's to an exciting semester in NUS Capoeira!

ps: join the NUS Capoeira group in FB to see more pictures

Bom Garoto

Just One of Those Random Posts..

2010-08-27T08:59:00.003+08:00

Saw a cool video that I thought should be shared here (Yes it's Mestre Youtube again ^^ )
It's a roda feminina, which means a roda with all/mostly female capoeiristas, and the tempo of playing is regional, usually faster with lots of kicks and acrobatics. (And dang those ladies look fierce!) Anyway, hope you like it!

*am still happy from the Welcome Tea energy yesterday haha.. To freshies checking out the blog, just wanna say I'm awed by the participation and enthusiasm last night!

Axe!
Salmao

Open Roda This Sunday @ SMU

2010-08-25T00:57:00.003+08:00

Hey Everyone,

We will be having our Open Roda this Sunday at SMU, 5 pm.

We can meet earlier at Bras Basah MRT Station @4.30 pm.

Do come down and experience what a big and open roda is like for the newcomers. Hope to see you
guys there!

~Salve

Here is the map of Bras Basah MRT for people who are not sure.

View Larger Map

Songs - 24.08.2010

2010-08-24T23:59:00.002+08:00

Here are the songs we learnt today! Great effort by the new people to sing along! Practice them ya so we can pump more axe for next roda ^^

Zum, zum, zum,
Capoeira mata um!
Zum, zum, zum,
Capoeira mata um!
Onde tem marimbondo
Tem zum, zum, zum
Onde tem marimbondo
Tem zum, zum, zum
O a o a e
Quero vem bater, quero vem cair
O a o a e
Quero vem bater, quero vem cair

Zum, zum, zum,
Capoeira kills one!
Zum, zum, zum,
Capoeira kills one!
Where there is a wasp
There is a zum, zum, zum
Where there is a wasp
There is a zum, zum, zum

Zum, zum, zum, describes both the sound of the berimbau, and the quick movements of the capoeiristas. The chorus responds "where there is a wasp there is a zum, zum, zum." In English we might say "where there is smoke there is fire!" Watch out, if you can hear the sound of the berimbau there is probably a capoeirista nearby.
__

Sai sai Catarina
Saia do mar venha ver Idalina
Sai sai Catarina
Saia do mar venha ver venha ver
Sai sai Catarina
Oh Catarina, meu amor
Sai sai Catarina
Saia do mar, saia do mar
Sai sai Catarina

Go, go, Catarina
Go out of the sea and come to see Idalina
Go, go, Catarina
Go out of the sea and come to see, come to see
Go, go, Catarina
Oh Catarina, my love
Go, go, Catarina
Go out of the sea, go out of the sea
Go, go, Catarina

A welcome tea and a farewell roda

2010-08-21T12:13:00.014+08:00

For those who missed it, here are some pics of the axé-pumping roda at the end of Thursday's Welcome Tea.

A big thank you to Alif and Aisha for coming down to help out and share some inspiring words about Capoeira. Thanks also goes out to our very own NUS senior who has just graduated - Bryan - for helping with the groundmoves station. Last but not least, thank you Gabriel for taking the cool shots that are posted above. We're grateful for all of your support :)

Round 2 is gonna be held this coming Thursday 26th Aug, so for those who couldn't make it, you have one more chance to discover Capoeira!

On another note, on behalf of NUS Capoeira I'd like to wish Angeline all the best for her exchange in S.Korea. Who knows, maybe you'll come back with your kicks leveled up after spending 4 months in Taekwondo land :P

Hope you enjoyed your farewell roda. To bring back the (good) memories, we dedicate this song for you:

Adeus, and boa viagem Rosa!

-Bom Garoto

Let's learn a new song!

2010-08-20T00:50:00.004+08:00

It's a pretty cool song I came across when browsing around, and I think it's gonna pump up some axe into the NUS roda =D You MUST listen to it. Yeap, you must. Go on, I know you want to ;p

The chorus just goes 'Nego nego nego nego!' which means, 'Give it give it give it give it (to him)!'

You can see the lyrics on the youtube video (karaokeira, anyone? ). Thing is I'm still looking for the full meaning. Meanwhile, enjoy!

Salmao

Songs - 20.08.2010

2010-08-20T00:28:00.004+08:00

Heya everyone! Thanks a lot for being such a good sport during the song session just now =D

Right, here are the lyrics to the songs we learnt today, specially for those who requested (Love your enthusiasm!! ;p ) and I put the youtube videos below. For those who want the mp3.. I see some of your email addresses from the capoeira gmail so I'll take the liberty to send the songs. Drop us an email requesting the songs if you did not send us an email previously =)

Enjoy!

Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Oi não não não, Oi sim sim sim
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Olha a pisada de Lampião
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não

Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Today you have it, tomorrow you don't
Today you have it, tomorrow you don't
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Today you have it, tomorrow you don't
Look at the footprints of Lampião
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
___

A hora é essa, a hora é essa
A hora é essa, a hora é essa
Berimbau tocou
na capoeira
Berimbau tocou
eu vou Jogar
Berimbau tocou
na capoeira
Berimbau tocou
eu vou Jogar
__
Bem-te-vi vôou, vôou
Bem-te-vi vôou, vôou
Deixa voar
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê
Que som o que arte é essa
de luta e brincadeira
Que roda maravilhosa é essa
é o Zambiacongo
Em cada som, em cada toque
em cada ginga, tem um estilo de jogo
Em cada som, em cada toque
em cada ginga, tem um estilo de jogo
Lauê lauê lá...
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê

Bem-te-vi flew, flew
Bem-te-vi flew, flew
Let it fly
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê
What a sound, what art is this
of fighting and playing
What a beautiful roda is this
it's Zambiacongo
In every sound, in every beat
in every ginga, it has a style of playing
In every sound, in every beat
in every ginga, it has a style of playing
Lauê lauê lá...
Lá lauê lauê lauê lauê
__

Axe!
Salmao

19/10/2010, Thursday Training and Welcome Tea

2010-08-18T01:00:00.005+08:00

Dear Capoeiristas, seniors and Freshman,

We will be having our Official Capoeira Welcome Tea this Thursday 7pm, @ Yusof Ishak House Amphitheatre so do come down and join us.

Bring your friends and yourself down, wear something comfortable which you can move around in. Don't forget to bring your water bottles to keep hydrated cause we are going to sweat it all out.

Last but not least prepare to have fun and experience a unique martial art that is Capoeira, have an open mind and you will enjoy yourself.

See you guys this THURSDAY!

~Salve
Kelvin

T-shirts

2010-08-16T23:22:00.004+08:00

Ok I think some of you must have heard by now that I'll be bringing down the t-shirts for sale tomorrow. Basically if you want the t-shirt just give me your size via SMS 94310313 and pass Ken the moolah,$16 tomorrow. I should be at NUS High early. So let me know if you want them.

Brian

Tuesday 10 August 2010 Training

2010-08-09T01:01:00.003+08:00

Hi Capoeiristas & Freshmen,

Do take note that training this Tuesday, 10/8/2010 will be held at SMU, at their CCA ROOM at 7.30pm.

If you are travelling by MRT can drop at Bras Basah MRT Circle Line, walk into SMU the CCA room is near the ATMs and Settlers Cafe@ SMU.

It will be a workshop conducted by James and his brother.

This will be a good chance for us all to mix with the ZC family, soak in the Axe, and get charged for the new semester in NUS right before our Welcome Tea on Thursday.
It's also a chance for us to grab more people to come down for our Welcome Tea on Thursday.

(If there's anyone who wants to travel down together from NUS, do contact me as I have a class that ends at 6) <- Arnold Leong

~Salve!
Kelvin

Every Song Has An Agenda (part 2)

2010-08-06T19:55:00.005+08:00

*read the part 1 written by a senior here*

Well, I'm thinking that our interest in capoeira songs is kinda high now thanks to ZC camp, and the excitement of new semester and new members, so what better time to learn a bit more about songs! We talked a bit about music last training, and I agree that singing and leading in the roda can't be a 'forced' thing..

But! This post is not written to persuade people to sing, but more to understand what some common songs are all about. Thing is, songs are very much part of capoeira.. They are used to comment on the players' actions in the roda (though, confession, at this stage I don't even take note what song is being sung when I'm busy evading kicks huhu..) , tease, encourage, praise, even teach moral values. Yeah, we won't be able to really delve much into their subtleties and wittiness like a Brazilian can, but still I'm convinced that knowledge about songs and their context will only make our capoeira journey richer!

Ieeeeeeeeeeeee.......
Well, not a song.. but this 'cry' before the ladainha (solo littany) is sung calls the people to attention and signals that the roda is starting. At the very end of the roda, "Ieeeee.." is again sung to close it.

Eu ja vivo enjuado
I think the most popular version amongst NUS people is the Carolina Soares one.. The whole song itself tells of a rather funny story of a guy who is tired of living on earth and wants to move to the moon.. An interpretation of this song could be that nothing comes easy without hard work (including handstand.. shucks..) A bit of its lyrics:
Quem e dono nao ciuma, e quem nao e vai ciuma (haha!)
(He who is the master of his land doesn't envy, and he who is not envies)
What is the 'haha!' doing there, I'm not sure, but it could be some sort of mocking to the guy who is feeling envious, perhaps because he does not work as hard and is not as skillled (my 2 cents worth..)

Oi sim sim sim, oi nao nao nao
(Oi yes yes yes, oi no no no)
There's one explanation in the 'Every Song Has An Agenda' part 1 (go check it out!), but another interpretation I found: "yes can mean no, and no can mean yes. A simple play of words that describe the unpredictable nature of capoeira." Now that's pretty cool for such a simple song =)

Zum, zum, zum, capoeira mata um
(Zum, zum, zum capoeira killed one)
'Zum zum' refers to the sound of the berimbau, and the 'killing' part.. an interpretation is that the song reminds capoeiristas they should be aware of the potential power of attacks and take them seriously. Usually, the song is used when the roda is too 'tame' (for lack of a better word..) and the mestre would like to see some action. The chorus goes: 'Onde tem marimbondo,tem zum zum zum' - when there is a wasp there is zum, zum, zum.. Apparently this means something like 'when there's smoke there's fire', which can be extrapolated to mean 'When there's the zum zum zum of the berimbau, you know there's a capoeirista nearby.'

Dona Maria Como Vai Voce
'Dona Maria' could refer to Saint Mary, but apparently it can also refer to 'Yamanya' - a female spirit of the ocean, rivers and moon. Part of the lyrics "Joga bonito que eu quero ver" - play beautifully because I want to watch.. Is this used to remind capoeiristas to play clean and beautiful? One thing about this song.. found out from a non-ZC capoeirista that it should be sung when there's a woman playing in the roda.. Well, we don't abide by that in NUS capoeira, but since then till now I can't help smiling if this song is sung when some buff-looking guys are playing! ;p

Menino Chorou (Nyeh nyeh nyeh!)
Cry little boy! Nyeh nyeh nyeh! Kinda obvious that the song is used to make fun of one of the players.. especially when he looks frustrated and is losing his calm..

Parana e
A lot is written about this song.. The lyric goes: 'Vous dizer a minha mulher, parana.. Capoeira que venceu, parana...' - I will tell my wife, parana, that capoeira won, parana.. Apparently, in the 1864 war between Brazil and Paraguay, a lot of capoeiristas took part.. Thing is, since the 'whites' did not want to be in the front line of war, they promised that slaves who fight and returned would be given their liberty.. and they fought and survived because capoeira gave them an advantage (at that time war did not depend so much on guns as hand-to-hand combat..) Read the whole article here
__
Well that's it for now.. there's still a wealth of funny and meaningful songs I've came across in my browsing around to dig these stuff up. (one song tells of a man who kills a woman.. because the woman wants to go home and the man wants to continue playing capoeira.. wth??!!) Guess I'll compile the URLs for the resources and put it up here.

Para ser bom capoeira
Nao basta ter aptidao
Tem se jogar com a alma
E cantar com o coraçao

(To be a good capoeirista
Aptitude is not enough
One has to play with the soul
And sing with the heart)
- lyrics from capoeira e beleza

Salmao

Sale of T-shirts

2010-08-02T12:05:00.002+08:00

Date: 030810
Time: 1900
Location: The Cupboard
Primary Objective: Exchange $15 for 1 x t-shirt

Welcome Tea (updated)

2010-07-29T19:28:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Please note the change in dates.

The Welcome Tea will now be held on the Thursday of both Week 1 and Week 2 (12th and 19th August), at 7.00pm at the YIH Amphitheatre.

Come in sports attire so you're ready to sweat it out in a good workout :)

We look forward to seeing you there!

-Bom Garoto

Angola Game - Contra-Mestra Susy

2010-07-26T21:49:00.005+08:00

Still following a bit about the girls in capoeira post.. haha.. since I went to read up on female mestres, a.k.a mestras, and found this video which I think is a great angola game.. The thing about watching contra-mestra Susy is that her games all seem so fun,yet beautiful. There are several other videos in youtube, including her playing with her students.. If there's such a thing as malicia-filled gentleness, then that was it haha..

Enjoy!

Salmao

Can capoeira be used in a fight?

2010-07-23T17:39:00.006+08:00

"Capoeira é luta é dança, Capoeira é arte é magia..."

Capoeira is a fight, is a dance
Capoeira is an art, is magic

This post is specially for those who doubt the effectiveness of Capoeira as a martial art.

Ps: Most of us here remember the scene in Ong Bak where Tony Jaa beats the capoeira fighter with Muay Thai. This time though, we get to see Lateef Crowder kick some ass - even if it's just a punching bag :P

-Bom Garoto

T-shirt update!

2010-07-21T23:46:00.008+08:00

Hey guys!

The t-shirt's finally out so you can start collecting (by which I mean buying) them from tomorrow onwards.

Vintage previous generation club t-shirts are still up for sale as well so grab them before they're gone!

Here's the Mandei Benzer song

and the lyrics (source: http://www.axecapoeira.com/media/music)

Tocava meu berimbau, quando o arame se quebrou.

era sinal e coisa ruim, mais eu nao quis acreditar,

toda vez que eu tocava o berimau, o arame voltava a se quebrar.

eu levei meu berimbau, numa cadela pra benzer,

e pedir para sao bento do mal vim me proteger,

mandei,

mandei benzer, mandei benzer meu berimbau na capela

eu pedir pra sao bento, benzer

eu pedir pra sao bento, guardar

eu pedir pra sao bento, benzer

o meu berimbau eu vou tocar

Brian, armour singlet

Capoeira NUS

Upcoming Events

Welcome Tea This Semester!

Happy New Year!

Grupo Senzala Penang Workshop again!

Ano Novo!

It's December holidays!

Boa Sorte!

Mugging period. But not forgetting Capoeira.

Song Letras: Capoeira E Defesa Ataque

Jogo galore!

Want More, Need More!

World Beats! 2011

Tricks AND Treats: Halloween Monthly Roda!

Capoeira Encounter with Mestre Luizinho!

Song Letras: A Mare 'ta Cheia & Eu Vim Pra Vadiar

Sing sing, meu camara, sing!

Grupo Senzala Penang Workshop with Professor Parabolica

Training Venues

This Saturday's Capoeira Retreat

Step It Up!

Training for Next 2 weeks

It's back to outside MPSH

NUS Capoeira AY 2011/2012 Semester 1 Retreat

Change of venue..again???

Holiday Training & Change of Venue!

Week 6 training

Thursday. Training.

Upcoming Events

NUS Capoeira Welcome Tea 2011/2012 Sem 1

Potluck @ Shiela's

Just like our Thursdays before...

Matric Fair 2011

The Au is so easy, if I had a third side I'd do it there too!

Holiday Training!

Batizado 2011

Training on 2/6/2011 - Thursday

Holiday Training @ SMU 24th May 2011

Holiday Training Timings and Schedule

A Game Within The Game

Batizado!!!

Exam Updates

Elections for AY2011/2012 Committee

"Joga bonito que eu quero ver"

Hantam those mid-terms, camaras!

1st ever Capoeira CIP event!!!

Mestre Xuxo vs Mestre Poncianinho

Recess Week Updates

Injuries - Part 2

Lou Yu Sheng @ NUS

Floreio, what?

NUS Capoeira Upcoming Activities

It's that time of the month!

The Heartbeat of the Roda

On Injuries (Part 1)

XANGO!!

Welcome Tea 2011 Sem 2

Training on 6th Jan, 2011 (Thursday)

Training @ SMU 4th January 2011

Thursday Training 30th December 2010

Christmas Roda

TRAINING ON THURSDAY 16th DECEMBER 2010

Training on Friday

Tricking at ECP this Sunday!

per Macaquinho:

Don't come if you are intending to be late as late comers will not be entertained.Get sore and go home sore."

letttttt's go!!!!

-Bom Garoto

Of Pecs, and Tights, and who the h*** let the dogs out??!!!

Monthly Roda (Exam Edition)

New Songs

Newsflash!!

Additional workshop info

Bits of Inspiration

Milo of Crotona

Intermezzo

Monthly Roda!!

Workshop and Performance at ITE College East Tmrw 11-1pm

BBQ Matters

Songs 16.09.10

Don't come if you are intending to be late as late comers will not be entertained.
Get sore and go home sore."