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Join our Facebook Group to get to know your fellow capoeiristas, and receive up-to-the-minute news about classes!

Memorial Day Weekend Schedule for Capoeira Classes in Washington DC

Due to the Memorial Day Weekend, capoeira classes will not meet on Sunday, May 27th at BloomBars (Columbia Heights, Washington, DC).

Instead please join us on Saturday, May 26th at 10:30 am – 12:00 pm; or Tuesday, May 29th at 7 – 8 pm. Both classes will be at All Souls church, located at 1500 Harvard St NW, Washington, DC. (View Weekly Schedule)

You can also bring your kids to learn capoeira every Saturday from 9 – 10 am at BloomBars.

Video: Brett Hoebel Demonstrates Capoeira on “The Revolution”

Did you know capoeira can burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour?

Or… that Halle Berry did capoeira to get in shape for Catwoman?

Learn a few basic moves and some fun facts about capoeira from Brett Hoebel (recently a trainer on The Biggest Loser).

Did you notice Brett’s form? He kicks his bênção with his heel out, and returns his foot to the back after each kick. Contra Mestre Bomba would approve for sure!

Pop quiz: Can you name any of the moves Brett does in the intro and outro? Leave your guesses in the comments.

Hat tip to student Ben for posting this video in our Facebook Group! Obrigada!!

Videos: Roda with Oficina da Capoeira in Adams Morgan, Washington DC

I took a few videos of the roda we participated in last Saturday afternoon with Oficina da Capoeira.

 

 

Announcement: Capoeira Class Canceled on Sunday May 6th | DC Capoeira Classes

The adult Capoeira Class on Sunday May 6th at BloomBars, normally 11 am – 12 pm, is canceled; it will resume as usual next week.

Also a reminder — It’s May! Please remember we offer monthly unlimited passes for $125. This brings your per-class cost down to just over $10 if you’re attending 12 classes a month. Bring a check or credit card to the next class to sign up.

Photos: Capoeira Music Class | Washington DC Capoeira

This week, during our normal weekend capoeira class at All Souls (10:30 am – 12:00 pm on Saturdays) we spent our time learning an important aspect of capoeira beyond kicks, sweeps and ginga: the music.

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For those of you learning the music, the video below demonstrates some of the typical toques or rhythms of the capoeira pandeiro (tambourine):

If you’d like to learn more about capoeira music, check out Capoeira-Music.net. It’s got plenty of videos, recordings, written lyrics and tutorials for how to play the instruments we use in capoeira.

We would like to offer capoeira music classes on a regular basis that does not interrupt our regular schedule. Please let us know what schedule will work best for you by voting in this poll:

What is a typical capoeira class like? Part 2 – Technique and Drills

Continued from What is a typical capoeira class like? Part 1

Capoeira, South Bank by Dale Harvey

If you’ve ever checked out youtube videos of capoeira you have probably thought something like, “That looks really cool, but there’s no way I could ever do that!”

Here’s a comparison: Do you ever watch the NBA and decide that basketball is too difficult to play? Or see the Super Bowl and think, “Nevermind about that co-ed flag football league, football is too hard!” Or even… watch the World Cup and quit your kickball league? Ok, maybe not that one.

But you get my point — there are all levels of capoeira, just like any sport, and we all start somewhere.  That starting point in any capoeira class is learning the basic kicks, blocks, sweeps and other moves. As you advance in your skills, you will improve your technique and flexibility, accomplishing more complex moves and combinations.

In a typical class, after we finish the warmup the students will practice the basics, which are the building blocks of capoeira regional: the ginga, au, role, esquiva lateral, cocorinha, martelho, ponteira, bencao, queixada, meia lua de frente and meia lua de compaso. Not sure what those are? Beginners receive special instruction on the first few kicks to start learning the names and proper form.

After that, we will drill combinations of these moves, such as combining au and martelho or quiexada and meia lua de frente. We also frequently do partner exercises where one capoeirista will practice an attacking move and the other will practice either a counterattack or an evasive maneuver. This type of practice helps you learn how to react when you are facing an opponent in the roda. 

Finally we finish the class with some stretching and ab exercises. Sometimes we will do a practice roda among students too.

Our classes are 60 minutes long on Tuesdays and Thursdays evening classes are both 60 minutes long (they start at 7 pm!) and so are the classes at BloomBars on the weekends (view the kids and adults capoeira class schedule here).

If you are looking for more impact, check out our Saturday morning classes. They are 90 minutes long, so we have extra time to practice new moves, drill the basics, and work with our fellow students.

Do you have a question about capoeira classes? Please let us know!

Important: No Classes March 31 – April 5

There will NOT be any Barro Vermelho capoeira classes at All Souls or BloomBars in Columbia Heights this week. This includes both kids and adult capoeira classes. Our instructor, Contra Mestra Bomba, will be taking a vacation with his family.

No Classes on:

• Saturday, March 31
• Sunday, April 1
• Tuesday, March 3
• Thursday, March 5

Classes will resume on Saturday, April 7th at their normal times — 9:00 am at BloomBars for kids; 10:30 am for adults at All Souls.

If you would still like to train, please let us know in our Facebook Group. If enough people are interested, we can set up a training time in a nearby park.