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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Upcoming Capoeira Events in DC

Here are several capoeira events — rodas, batizados, and festivals — coming up soon in the Washington, DC area:

Brazil Day Festival

• Saturday, September 9th
• 11 am – 6 pm
• Location: The Yards Park, 4th Street S.E. and Tingey Street, Washington DC (near Nationals Stadium)
• Free to attend!
• Capoeira performance at 3:00 – 3:30 pm – Anyone know what group is performing?
• Learn more

Capoeira Sul da Bahia’s 7th Batizado

• Saturday, September 29th
• 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Location: Roda Movements
• Fees, Schedule and Additional Workshops TBA
• Facebook RSVP

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.

 

 

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.

What is a typical capoeira class like? Part 1 – Warmup

For a lot of people here in Washington, DC, capoeira is virtually unknown. When friends and colleauges ask me what it is, I usually try to describe it as a mixture between dance, martial arts and gymnastics.

So what happens in a typical capoeira class? Instruction will vary depending on the teacher, your group’s style, and even what part of the world you are practicing. In our class, we use many instruction techniques passed down from the mestres of capoeira in Bahia, Brazil as our instructor, Contra Mestre Bomba, grew up in Bahia and taught capoeira for many years in Brazil, until moving to DC a few years ago.

Before class starts, many of the students arrive early to start stretching. We will do stretches during and after the class as well, so if it is your preference to stretch beforehand to get loosened up first then plan on arriving a few minutes early.

Usually, we start the class with a light jog. Then, we warm up our arms and legs with different movements across the floor: crab walk, bear walk, hopping, high knees, and so on. If we are doing a class in a smaller space, we will do jumping jacks and different kinds of jumps to get warmed up. When the weather permits, we will go on a short run outdoors, generally up to 10 minutes of running time.

It is crucial to get warmed up properly because when you’re practicing capoeira, you are using muscles you probably haven’t used in a while, if ever. You will be working your legs, arms, and core throughout the remainder of the class so a good warmup will prepare your muscles for performing drills and practicing your technique later in the class. Plus, the warmup will improve your cardio, get your heart rate up, and help prevent soreness after class.

After our hearts have started pounding and our bodies are warm, we will do some leg stretches to work on flexibility. These stretches are based on many of the basic defensive movements of capoeira such as esquiva lateral and cocorinha.

Then, we’ll start with some basic moves of capoeira: au (cartwheel) and role (roll). Most beginning students haven’t done a cartwheel since they were a kid. So we practice them to build strength and balance and to perfect our technique since the au is a basic building  block of capoeira.

If you’re just starting out, the important thing to remember is to get used to the movement and work on your technique. As you continue practicing capoeira, your au will get better and better.

If you’re having trouble with your au, this video has some good tips:

Video: Sequences of Mestre Bimba

This week at class we have been practicing the beginning sequences of Mestre Bimba. According to Capoeira Cinco Seixos:

Mestre Bimba, the creator of the Regional style of Capoeira, created the first method to learn Capoeira, it consisted of a logical sequence of attack, defense and counter attack movements, put into a simplified form for the initiates.

It permitted the students to learn how to play with a strong sense of motivation and security. Jair Moura, ex-student explains, “These are a series of complete physical exercises and they are organized in a number of practical and efficient lessons for the beginner in Capoeira. They are executed inside a small with as little time as possible to convince the student of the value of the fight, as a system of attack and defense.”

The original complete sequences of learning were formed with 17 strikes, where each student executed 154 movements to 308, to condition the student physically and to teach specific motor skills to the practitioners. See more movements.

Here is a video showing Sequences 1 through 8:

You can find a complete step-by-step guide to all 8 of the above sequences at Capoeira Cinco Seixos website.

Why not give these moves a try at the next capoeira class here in Washington DC?

February Specials for Capoeira Classes

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Capoeira Barro Vermelho!

For the month of February, couples train two for the price of one! So bring your friend, lover or whatever and you each pay $7.50 (half of the regular price of $15).

At least one person in the pair must not have trained before with Capoeira Barro Vermelho. Both people pay half price for each class that they come to together for the month of February, so this offer is valid for all classes throughout the month!

Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8pm and Saturday from 10:30-12noon at All Souls Unitarian Church, located near the Columbia Heights metro at 1500 Harvard St., NW, lower level in Washington, DC.

Children’s Capoeira Classes in Washington DC

Currently Children’s Capoeira Classes are on Summer Break. Please join our Facebook Group to receive notification when they return or contact us.

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art disguised as a dance and performed to musical instruments and traditional Brazilian songs. It is comprised of specific offensive and defensive movements and, in contrast to other martial arts, the participant is constantly in motion. Students will learn the movements of capoeira along with the music and songs traditionally used in the sport.

Contra Mestre Bomba has been teaching the art of Capoeira in Bahia, Brazil and more recently, in Washington, DC,  for more than 20 years. Class is conducted largely in Portuguese, however students can easily learn by example. Children learning Spanish in their classes will have an opportunity to practice their vocabulary as well.

• $10 donation per child.
• Beginners should wear loose fitting clothing and light footwear.
• Recommended for ages 8 to 18
• Classes are located at BloomBars, 3222 11th St NW – near the Columbia Heights Metro

Big News: New Location + Weekday Classes Beginning Jan 10!

Great news for the new year!

First: Saturday classes have moved to All Souls Church at 1500 Harvard St NW! Same time (10:30 am – 12:00 pm) but just a few blocks away from the old space! This change is effective immediately and all Saturday classes starting January 7th will be at this location.

Second: With the move to All Souls Church, we are now able to offer weekday classes! Join us Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 PM to 8 PM starting next week – Tuesday, January 10!

For the exciting new year and exciting new space, we are offering a special introductory price. All classes are $10 each from January 10 through January 31!  Cash and credit cards are accepted on the day of the class. No advance registration is required, just bring a form of payment to the class and you’re ready to ginga!

We also have a new, easier way to pay! For extra savings, buy a month pass for $80 for all classes during the month of January.

Be sure to be there on Saturday morning to take full advantage of this great deal! Of course, you will still be able to buy the month pass after Saturday, but getting it this Saturday will give you the best savings for January.

Note: Classes on Sundays remain unchanged! 11:00 am – 12:00 pm at BloomBars every Sunday. 

Goodbye, DIW!

Class Schedule – New Year’s Weekend

Welcome back! Hope you had a great holiday.

This New Year’s weekend, we will not have capoeira class normally scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 am at Dance Institute of Washington due to the New Year’s Eve holiday.

However, we WILL have class the following day at 11 am on Sunday January 1, 2012 at BloomBars. 

For more news and updates, join our Facebook group: Barro Vermelho Capoeira of Washington, DC

Capoeira Class at BloomBars, Columbia Heights, Washington DC