Pretoria | Onelargeprawn

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]

A few days back, we posted about a Capetonian freelance artist by the name of Brice. We have another one for you this week, a man whose namesake was a handsome Austrian composer made famous for his waltzes. Our equally handsome man is an artist of a different kind. Hailing from Pretoria, we’re told he has fondness for all cheese, enjoys short walks on the beach, loves dancing to the title of The Golden Girls, and can even shoot lasers out of his right eye. He can also draw pretty well.

Johann Strauss has worked as a childrens book artist for the last nine years, doing freelance work here and there, but has recently gone freelance, full time. He tells us that while he prefers working with simple pencil and paper, he has taught himself different styles over the years and that is very evident from his portfolio. He has also started working on concept designs for a few video game titles, including some awesome character designs for what looks like an entertaining side-scroller, Bounty Arms. Have a look at some of Johann’s artwork after the jump.