Bahia-Capoeira Blog

Tribute to Capoeira in Carnaval 2008

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:09:00 -0400

Pelourinho, Salvador - Bahia - Brasil

Here you will see some pictures about the decoration of Pelourinho with a Capoeira theme. This year the Carnaval of Bahia gave a tribute to capoeira and the old mestres.

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Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:32:52 -0500

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Arame Tutorial for Dummies - Part 3/3

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 16:12:37 -0500

Text and photos by Shayna McHugh
Foreword, comments, cover and web adaptation by Alvaro Letelier Hidalgo

Finally! This is the last part our web-free-tutorial "Berimbau Arames for Dummies".

We get a lot more of nice testimonials of capoeiristas from every part of the world and differents groups...

So, if you missed the two previous parts check it here:

Arame Tutorial for Dummies - Part 1/3

Arame Tutorial for Dummies - Part 2/3

If you already read it, then let's see the last part.

Enjoy it!

GUIDE TO GETTING BERIMBAU ARAMES - 3rd Part
An illustrated, step-by-step guide
By Shayna McHugh

Please read all instructions carefully… undertake at your own risk!

STEP 3: MAKING THE LOOPS

After all that work, this is often the hardest part!

Make a loop and then hold it with your left hand.

Take your right hand and grab the two parts on the other side of the “X”

Twist your hands in opposite directions to make the first bend.

Repeat 3-4 times, trying to make the coils tight and close to each other.

To break the wire, bend the free end up and down until you feel it start to weaken and crack. Then, break it “forward” in the same direction as the coils. This prevents the wire from having a sharp end that can cut your berimbau or your hand.

Ta-da!!!

Don’t worry if your first few attempts look more like the picture below. Even if you can’t use that arame, keep it to practice more loops on.

Put the loop on the bottom of your berimbau and loop it over the top.

I leave approximately 4 inches of extra arame – better too much than too little, since you can always shorten it if necessary.

Hold the spot where you want the arame to end…

…and make another loop. Make sure that the side you break off is the one where you haven’t yet made a loop.

Woohoo! Arames!

You can get 2-3 arames out of each wire, giving you 10-15 per rim. Now, flip the tire over and repeat on the other side!

End of the Arame Tutorial for Dummies.

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Tue, 5 Feb 2008 16:37:01 -0500

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The Bahia-Capoeira.com team

Arame Tutorial for Dummies - Part 2/3

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:57:11 -0500

Text and photos by Shayna McHugh
Foreword, comments, cover and web adaptation by Alvaro Letelier Hidalgo

So, like we promise we are here with the second part of our web-free-tutorial "Berimbau Arames for Dummies".

We already received some nice and truthful testimonials from every part of the world...

So, if you missed the first part check it here:
Arame Tutorial for Dummies - Part 1/3

If you already read it, then let's see the second part.

Enjoy it!
GUIDE TO GETTING BERIMBAU ARAMES - 2nd Part
An illustrated, step-by-step guide
By Shayna McHugh

Please read all instructions carefully… undertake at your own risk!

STEP 2: CLEAN THE WIRE

Now it’s time to separate the wires that are stuck together. I like to step on the wire and cut along the grooves like the picture below.

I don’t recommend attempting the picture below, unless you want to lose a finger or two!

Once you separate the ends, you should be able to simply peel the wires apart from each other.

Each one will still have quite a bit of rubber on it.

Loop the end of the wire around something stable.

Use the smooth-edged paring knife to strip the rubber. Just work your way backwards and get as much off as possible.

If you don’t have room, you can also step on the wire and cut downwards.

*Uh.. I liked the boots... match with the pants

It will still be dirty, but free of big chunks of rubber.

Now use the sandpaper to scrape down the wire and remove the rest of the rubber.

WARNING: both the sandpaper and the wire will get very hot – be careful!

You should end up with a nice shiny wire:

What is Barravento?

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:57:50 -0500

A. A. Decânio Filho
Translated by Shayna McHugh

Regarding the email from Claudio A. Sampaio Filho:

Dear Mestre Decânio,

Thank you for the guidance. I’ve already contacted Mestre Itapoan.
I was talking with my mestre about the satisfaction of having corresponded with you via e-mail, when he asked me to ask you a question that he has never able to find an answer to, with any other mestre.

Which is the Toque of Barra-vento and in which type of Game should it be played???

Mestre Pastinha, in his songs, sometimes referred to this type of toque.
Thanks in advance, and do not hesitate to contact me if you need anything here from São José dos Campos. I know that Mestre Esdras is one of the members of CEPAC, and my Mestre, Teófilo dos Santos, is always in contact with him.

Claúdio.

If the doubts persist
Continue asking
Meditating about the answers that you obtain
Until one day
The God that inhabits the heart of each one of us
Suddenly shows you
The way, the truth and the light that guides us!

ANSWER… ?... !...

Initially I should make some observations on the question “Which is the Toque of Barravento”...

Responding to the question of which is the toque can only be answered with the berimbau… so I will limit myself to responding to what is the toque…

To continue, I ask permission to discuss a little bit the expression, “in which type of Game should it be played???”

Music provokes a modification of the state of the soul of whoever listens to it. It’s enough to hear the bugler in the quiet of the night… the “Ave Maria” in the darkening of twilight… the beat of the drums in a forced march… the rhythm in a terreiro of candomblé… the sweetness of an ijexá rhythm during a parade of afoxé… the hipshaking frevo (improvised Carnaval dance)… the swing of reggae… the smooth guitar of Doryval Caimmi singing about the gentleness of dying in the ocean… the negritude of the Lagoa do Abaeté… or the plaintive shout of the black woman selling acarajé, marking “ten o’clock at night”!

Thus, we can understand that the atabaque leads the human being into the trance of the orixás, which is nothing more than a modified state of consciousness in which the dynamic of our body is manifested when freed from the superficial standards of behavior imposed by the culture in which we grow and live. In a similar way, the berimbau toque leads the practitioner into the capoeira trance, a modified state of consciousness in which the player, free from the social standards of behavior, freely manifests his response to the rhythm-melody directly linked to the deepest part of his biological structure, that is, the anatomic and functional foundations of the nervous and endocrine systems.

It is not a “type of game” that requires the toque, but rather the “toque,” by means of the rhythm, the melody, and the tempo associated with ritual movements and with the code of partnership, that induces the capoeira player to a determined physical behavior. For example the “jogo de dentro” (inside game), under the toques of Banguelinha, Banguela and/or São Bento Pequeno, is used for the simulation of a weapon (knife, machete, dagger, razor…), inside the rules of the game (ritual) given the gentleness and slowness of the toque, which generates controlled movements and allows safe dodges, thus guaranteeing the physical safety of the players. On the other hand, the rapid and heated toque of “Cavalaria” brings about a fast and more violent game.

Regarding the question of what, we can research the definition of “barravento.”

In the “Dicionário Aurélio,” we find:

Entry: barravento (masculine noun) 1. Favorite toque of Xangô, in Bantu candomblés. 2. The anxiety that dominates the filha-de-santo (daughter of the saint) before the arrival of the orixá.

Entry: barlavento (masculine noun) 1. Direction from where the wind blows. 2. Side of a sea vessel turned to the direction from where the wind blows [Antonym: sotavento]

The fisherman of the Bahian Recôncavo use barravento as a synonym of barlavento. In candomblé, there is a toque called “barravento,” which is faster and more heated than the ijexá rhythm.

The samba of the Bahian Recôncavo, which is a choreographic manifestation also based in the ijexá rhythm, like capoeira, we find two varieties, differentiated by the ritual and the tempo of the toques:

- In Santo Amaro da Purificação, there is samba santamarense (also known as “samba de barravento” or “de chula”), which is slower and more heavily ritualized; each participant must sing a chula before starting to samba. The dancers only dance under the exclusive accompaniment of the orchestra, without singing or chorus;

- In Cachoeira de São Felix, there is samba cachoeirano, or “de corrido,” of a more heated rhythm, whose ritual allows dancing during singing (corrido).

Given the common origin of these cultural manifestations, Mestre Pastinha used this term “barravento” to characterize a faster rhythm, whose guideline I cannot reproduce, especially because each mestre asserts his personality on his toques – this is how capoeira’s infinite musical richness arises.

In my view, “barravento” itself is not a toque but rather a “speed” of ijexá. However, this does not prevent someone from creating a toque and calling it “Barravento”… I strongly
believe that the important thing is to choose a tranquil, smooth, slow toque that develops a friendly, respectful, pleasurable game, in which each one can manifest his current potential without the risk of injuring or being injured, capable of sealing an friendship indestructible by Time and by Death, like that which still unites me to Cisnando, Ruy Gouveia, Tiburcinho, Mané Rozendo, Compadre Luizinho, Compadre Brasilino, Caiçara, Ezequiel… and above all to the Mestres Bimba and Pastinha!

Capoeira is a joyful dialogue
Under the ijexá rhythm
Of bodies based in a single “US”
By the magic of the berimbau toque
Theory is a mere game of words for mental gymnastics
What is important is the game, the joy
The prizes are Happiness and Interior Growth!

Source: http://planeta.terra.com.br/esporte/capoeiradabahia/

Useful Links:

Ijexá - Wikipedia

Clave (rhythm) - Wikipedia

Berimbau Arames for Dummies - Part 1/3

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:42:44 -0500

Text and photos by Shayna McHugh
Foreword, comments, cover and web adaptation by Alvaro Letelier Hidalgo

So, we are here again to give you a all second chance to understand how to get your arames.

If you didin't get it at the first Quick Arame Tutorial by contramestre Aranha, now you wouldn't say than we didn't try.

We are introducing our new concept in Capoeira Tutorials:

Now, let's see the tutorial...
GUIDE TO GETTING BERIMBAU ARAMES
An illustrated, step-by-step guide
By Shayna McHugh

Please read all instructions carefully… undertake at your own risk!

STEP 1: RETRIEVE THE WIRE

First, you need a tire. Pick one up at any auto repair center or tire shop.

My preferred tools are a serrated paring knife, a smooth-edged paring knife, and sandpaper (medium grain):

A steak knife can work instead of a serrated paring knife. However, I find that they’re less durable, resulting in this:

The arame comes from the inside rim of the tire.

Take the serrated knife and cut off the rubber all the way around the inside rim:

You are looking for the place where the wire begins coiling around the rim. If you don’t find it, it can be helpful to shift the angle of your knife to cut the top “corner” of the rubber and go around again:

* Nice pants

Once you find the beginning of the coil (there should be 4-5 wires stacked on top of each other), wedge your knife under it:

WAIT!! Before you go any further, mark the place where the coil begins (you’ll thank me for this later):

Okay, now keep cutting along behind the wire until you have enough to grab:

Now, start pulling. The wire should come out easily. If it doesn’t, there may be some rubber blocking it and you should be able to free it with a little more cutting.

A note: Having the wire coil up like in the photo is fine. What you don’t want to do is make a kink.

That will give the arame a weak point at which it is more likely to break.

Now you should have something that looks like this: (hey, that’s a cool picture)

But wait! You didn’t throw away the tire yet, did you? Take your knife and cut straight into the rim – if you hit something hard, there’s more wire in there.

In my experience, there are usually 4-5 wires per rim. If you’ve missed one or two, go back to the mark you made at the beginning of the coil, wedge the knife under, and pull it out.

If you can’t find the beginning of the coil, you can also wedge your knife in back of the wire – cut away as much of the rubber as possible and twist the tip of the knife to work it in.

Once you have enough wire to grab, pull it out. Then try to cut straight into the tire again.

If your knife sinks into the rubber, you’ve gotten all the wire out of that rim. (But still don’t throw out the tire!)

LEGO and Capoeira

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:38:48 -0500

On Monday, LEGO is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the day it filed its first patent for the iconic plastic brick.

Many of us had a LEGO when kids...

And we can see LEGO in many places, situations and also today in the homepage of Google:

So, with capoeira wouldn't be different. So here we have our little "homenagem" to the LEGO bricks and also a link to The Capoeira Blog, with their selections of Capoeira Lego Movies.

LEGO Capoeira Movies topic in the

And here some related information about LEGO

LEGO (Wikipedia)

LEGO is a line of building toys manufactured by the LEGO Group, a privately held company based in Denmark.

The company's flagship product, commonly referred to as Lego bricks, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts. There are other Lego pieces which can be assembled and connected in many ways, such as vehicles, buildings and even working robots.
Read more of this article

50th Birthday of the LEGO Brick (LEGO Website)

The 50th birthday of the LEGO brick is in January 2008 and there is plenty to celebrate. Children all over the world have played with LEGO bricks for the past 50 years, and LEGO is still right at the top of many wish lists – just as it always has been.
Read more of this article

How to get "arames" for your Berimbau (Quick Tutorial)

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:17:58 -0500

Como obtener "arames" para su berimbau. (Tutorial Breve)

By/Por: contramestre Aranha
Photos/Fotos: Alvaro Letelier Hidalgo

ENG: With a knife cut off the rubber all the way around the inside rim of the tire.
ESP: Con un cuchillo remueve toda la capa de caucho que se encuentra en el borde interior del neumatico y que cubre el espiral de alambre.
ENG: Look for the place where the wire begins coiling around the rim, and cut along behind the wire until you have enough to grab.
ESP:Con el cuchillo busca en donde comienza el espiral del alambre y separa del resto un poco para poder agarralo facilmente con las manos.

ENG: Now, start pulling the wire. It should come out easily.
ESP:Ahora, comienza a tirar el alambre. Debiera salir facilmente.

ENG: Loop the end of the wire around something stable and use the knife to strip the rubber.
ESP: Amarra la punta del alambre en un lugar firme y usando el cuchillo remueve la mayor cantidad de caucho que sea posible.

ENG: After the knife, use a sandpaper to scrape down the wire to remove the rest of rubber.
ESP:Después de usar el cuchillo para limpiar, utiliza una lija para remover el resto de caucho.

Festa do Senhor do Bonfim (Lavagem do Bonfim)

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:19:50 -0500

17 de Janeiro de 2008
Salvador - Bahia - Brasil

Reportagem: Jaqueline Reis Vasconcellos. Fotos: Alvaro Letelier Hidalgo.

Saindo da Igreja Conceição da Praia

ibahia.globo.com
Festa do Bonfim reúne cerca de um milhão de pessoas
17/01/2008 - 18h12m

Cerca de um milhão de pessoas – segundo estimativa da Polícia Militar – lotaram hoje (17), as principais ruas da Cidade Baixa, em Salvador, para reverenciar o Senhor do Bonfim – santo mais popular entre os baianos católicos e adeptos das religiões de matriz africana. O ritual foi aberto com uma celebração ecumênica em frente à Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, no Comércio, e prosseguiu com um cortejo puxado por cerca de 500 baianas que desfilaram num trajeto de seis quilômetros até a Colina Sagrada, no Bonfim.

Leia a noticia completa

View Larger Map

Concentração das baianas na frente da Igreja da Conceição da Praia. Este ano a lavagem estava movimentada, pois a cidade já recebe diversos turistas para o carnaval. No detalhe uma baiana preparando o jarro em cima de seu torço.

Baianas em cortejo para o Bonfim. Reza a tradição que todo o trajeto deve ser feito, por elas, a pé, com jarros de barro cheios de água de flor, na cabeça. Esta tradição remonta, no sincretismo, as Águas de Oxála.

Todo o cortejo é acompanhado por fanfarras, bandas instrumentais, que vão animanto os fiés na longa trajetória dos 6km.

Carlinhos Brown e os Zárabes. É tradição deste compositor baiano inovar em nossas festas de largo. Na lavagem do Bonfim ele nos traz este bloco de músicos andantes que vão animando o percurso

Se não tomarmos cuidado somos atropelados pela levada.

Eu e Bel no cortejo, afinal, quem tem fé vai a pé.

Aqui já estamos chegando no Largo de Roma, quase cumprindo todo o percurso. Olha o video desta bandinha:

Já dá pra ver a colina sagrada, Uf! Conseguimos.

Baianas já avistam a colina. Assim que chegarem vão fazer a famosa lavagem das escadarias.

Estamos na ladeira do Bonfim, faltam menos de 300 metros para a escadaria. Olha o burrinho de chapeu!

www.jornaldamidia.com.br
Baiano enche as ruas no cortejo do Bonfim
Quinta-feira, 17/01/2008 - 20:24

Salvador - O movimento começou cedo no largo da Colina Sagrada, em frente à igreja do Senhor do Bonfim. Ambulantes se instalaram nas redondezas devidamente abastecidos de fitinhas e colares de contas brancas e azuis. Fiéis se ajoelhavam rente aos portões da igreja para rezar, agradecer por graças alcançadas e pedir proteção.

Com uma imagem de Jesus Cristo nas mãos, os irmãos Gabriel e Thalita Tavares esperam pela chegada do cortejo nas escadarias todos os anos, há 25 anos. Esse ano compraram, na feira de São Joaquim, uma estátua ainda maior para ser abençoada pelas baianas porque acreditam que uma tia foi curada de hepatite em função de uma promessa feita ao Senhor do Bonfim. “Depois que a imagem for abençoada, vamos levá-la para a casa de nossa tia no Rio Grande do Sul”, informa Thalita. Gabriel emenda: “Temos uma relação afetiva com o santo e principalmente, somos agradecidos”.

Os turistas registravam tudo o que podiam e se esforçavam para entrar no clima da festa. A Lavagem do Bonfim é uma tradição iniciada por negros escravos no século XVIII. Hoje, por determinação da igreja católica, o templo fica fechado mas uma multidão de devotos, turistas e políticos se reúnem no adro para o ritual da lavagem, comandada por baianas, com água de cheiro e vassouras.

Continue a ler esta noticia

3 rodas de capoeira na Praça do Senhor do Bonfim. Esta é uma...

... esta é a outra roda...

... e esta a outra, comandada pela galera do grupo Capoeira Palmares.

Os balões no ar marcaram o inicio da cerimonia.

Fiéis tentam olhar melhor a Igreja.

Todos buscam um pouco de água de flor para boa sorte.

Pessoas em busca das bençãos do Senhor do Bonfim.

Para os fiés que não conseguem receber o banho de água de flor, vale também amarrar fitinhas do Bonfim na grade da Igreja para fazer seus pedidos.

Roda de baianas. O samba-de-roda também é uma tradição nas festas de largo de Salvador.

Baianas no adro da Igreja atendendo aos fiés que estão em busca de banho de flor.

Nossa reporter também recebe a benção das baianas, como água de flor.

Musica de afoxé para animar, e milho cru para limpar o público. Este é um afoxé de um terreiro de candomblé de Salvador. Eles estão tocando músicas de saudação aos orixás.

Pronto, já podemos voltar para casa...

Quem tem fé vai a pé... e quem não tem carro volta a pé também...

:/