Embarrassing as it is, I have to say that the main reason I know of the existence of capoeira is Eddy Gordo and his pretty granddaughter, Christie Monteiro. You may recognize them as fictional characters from the virtual fighting game, Tekken.Of course, very real people practice the art form that has its roots in 16th century Brazil. Some people regard it as a martial art and some think it a sort of dance. Others call it their religion.
Onelargeprawn reader and lazy gamer Nick de Bruyne sent in this video of local capoeiristas in Pretoria, South Africa as they go about performing some of the graceful, flowing actions in their Capoeria Mei Lua (Half-moon Capoeira) class. Check it out below.
What struck me most about the video is the wonderful musical accompaniment. The song is entitled Pedir o Axé, and as I’m told by Nick, the twangy sounds are created from a rudimentary instrument called a Berimbau. It looks a bow with a calabash tacked on, and you play it using and a stick and a stone (or coin).
[via Nick de Bruyne]
4 replies on “Capoeira Mei Lua”
You rock dude! Although this really is (and I say this without bias) the best Capoeira video I’ve actually ever seen. Incredible.
Hey guys!
Thanks a mil to Nick and OneLargePrawn for posting up our video, you guys are awesome! Hope you enjoy the video :)
Massive thanks to Pieter Jordaan from The Graphics Reserve, who did the filming and editing and made this video so incredible. We owe him much!
He’s got amazing talent, if you are interested in making use of his awesomeness, u can find him at thegraphicreserve[at]gmail[dot]com.
And if anyone is interested in joining the Capoeira class in Brooklyn Pretoria, find us on facebook under “Capoeira Meia Lua” or sms me @ 072 276 8128
Enjoy the video guys :)
@The brothers de Bruyne: you’re very welcome. I’ve watched the video a few times now, it’s very rhythmical.
Edit: Chris, I removed the hyperlink to the e-mail address. I’d hate for the spambots to bombard The Graphics Reserve.
Beautiful.