New Website!

In case you were wondering why we haven’t had many updates, it’s because we have a fancy new website for our DC Capoeira group.

Please visit www.capoeirafitnessdc.com for the latest updates about our Washington DC capoeira classes!

Learn Capoeira in 2013 for 50% off!

January super special: Learn capoeira in the new year and save 50%

• Drop-in for just $7.50 (normally $15 per class)

• New student special: $15 for two weeks of unlimited classes

• Purchase a monthly pass for just $60 (normally $120) Best  value — just $5 per class! 

Hope you can join us soon! Axe!

Photos from Capoeira in the Park

Here are a few photos we took one week during Capoeira Class in Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park.

Join us on Saturday mornings from 10:30 – 12 pm!

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No Capoeira Class in Malcolm X Park Today

Due to the rainy weather, there will not be capoeira class today, usually scheduled for 10:30 – 12 noon in the upper grassy part of Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. If you are ever wondering, please check our Facebook Group, where we post the latest updates and news.

View our complete schedule of Washington DC capoeira classes.

Capoeira in the Park Continues

We had such a great time working out in Malcolm X Park (aka Meridian Hill Park) the past two Saturdays, that we will continue having Saturday morning capoeira classes outdoors in Washington DC!

Please meet us at All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St NW at 10:30 am; it is a short 2-block walk away from the Columbia Heights metro. From there, we’ll walk another quick 2 blocks to the northern entrance to Malcolm X park.

A few tips, as practicing in an outdoor environment has its own challenges:

• Wear sneakers or cross trainers. Unless you like stepping on bottle caps, twigs and ants.
• Bring plenty of water. Freeze your water bottle overnight if you like ice-cold water!
• Put on sunscreen before class. Don’t let your skin match the red in our shirts and abadas!
• Leave your valuables at home; you may not be able to keep a close eye on your iPod while you ginga.
• Check our Facebook group for last-minute updates. In case of bad weather (rain or extreme heat) we will post any class updates on Facebook.

In return, you’ll get these primo benefits from an outdoor workout:

Bring a friend, pay $10 each!

• Beautiful breezes and fresh air
• Plenty of space to jog and practice
• A heart-pounding, never-boring workout
• All levels, including first-time beginners, are welcome
• A fun way to stay in shape
• Occasional surprise musical guests from fellow capoeiristas playing the berimbau and pandeiro! 
• Personal instruction from the most authentic and most experienced capoeira regional teacher in Washington, DC.

Bonus:

Bring a friend and you’ll both pay $10! That’s right, 2 students can pair up to pay just $20 for all 90-minute Saturday morning classes outdoors in the park.  Otherwise the drop-in rate is the usual $15 per person, per class. (We also offer all-included monthly unlimited passes for $125.)

Additional Washington DC Capoeira Classes:

As always, we still have capoeira classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 – 8:00 pm at All Souls church, 1500 Harvard St NW, Washington DC.

Videos: Music and Lyrics of Capoeira Songs

This week during capoeria class, we received some lyrics to several of the songs commonly sung in capoeira, especially for our group Barro Vermelho.

Marinheiro So:

Parana E

Zum Zum Zum

No Mercado Modelo Tem Acaraje

I will post more as I find them. If you have any favorites or have used youtube to help you learn the lyrics, please post the links to the videos in the comments or in our Facebook group!

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.

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.