This is Just the Beginning

First, let me apologize for the delay in posting....Last week I was in training for work (TFAD), and had a great deal on my already full plate workwise....

Soooooo, the moment that Nemo and I have been waiting for.......WE GOT OUR FIRST CAPOEIRA BELTS!!!!! 

2 Belts...Somebody betta' watch their backs....#imjussayin!  LOL!

This event was held at the Brazilian Cultural Center's Capoeira Ginga Brasil CDO http://www.capoeiraconnecticut.com/ first Women's Encounter and Semi-Annual Batizado!  Let me start off by saying that the weekend was nothing short of amazing and Nemo and I are blessed to be amongst such a wonderful group of people!  Women came from all over CT, as far as Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and even Canada!  Well attended!

First, special shout out to my Mestre Guilherme Torres aka Mestre Gui aka Pinga Fogo for your guidance, leadership, direction and most of all sense of "family".  Obrigada!  :-)



The Best Mestre EVER!!!!  Obrigada!

Next, to my girls Madame, Marcia, Amy and Analisse for all of the hours that we have spent together leading up to this event!  I <3 you girls!  Pretty girls Rock!  <3  Obrigattttttttta!!!!  ;-)

Friday night was a whirlwind...After the first two workshops and the roda (circle in which you play Capoeira, with another person, all while singing songs to the beat of the berimbau, and other instruments), I can honestly say, I realized I was a beginner!  These women were serious!  No joke!  Sooooo, feeling a little, ok a lot defeated and intimidated, I went home with my proverbial tail between my legs...

Needless to say the mouth guard (TFAD) was in full effect Friday night as I tried to sleep with all of my nervous energy!  Did I mention, me and the girls had a performance had to do in front of all of the women and the Mestre's that had come in from all over?! 

Sidenote:  My back got twirked, Thursday night....It had been tight for a few weeks and because I did not allow myself the proper rest (TFAD), in a deadlift WOD, I was presented with a back issue.  I will talk about my mini-meltdown at another time.  With no time to feel sorry for myself, I called on Bonnie ECC's resident sports masseusse.  Let me just say, I love her!

Here is how my Saturday went in a nutshell....
4:45A - Woke up for the first time
4:46 - 7A - Woke up about 5 more times with a couple of loads of laundry in between
7:45A - Went down to ECC for a sports massage by Bonnie....Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!!
9:30A - Get Nemo to his tutor (TFAD)
10A - Start on our second day's workshops
My SaturdDAY ended on Sunday AM at the Diner after a night with our Capoeira friends at Jake's!

The day was filled with a music workshop, a review of Capoeira sequences and some agility activities (i.e. kicking using no arms, or playing Capoeira using one leg...)

But my favorite was the Samba workshop put on by Quenia Ribeiro http://www.sambasambasamba.com/ .  This little woman has so much energy, so much fire with a Brazilian New Yorkan swag (whatever that is... LOL!)  All I can say is I had a ball...I'm still trying to figure out how you move your feet and your butt so fast yet still to the beat!  She teaches at Alvin Ailey's Extension Center.  Needless to say Mama is making a trip to the City since my dreams of being a Luke Dancer never panned out (TFAD!) 

We then had another Roda as we prepared for the performance and the Batizado. 

The moment arrived.  It was time for all eyes to be on us as we performed the dance...The applause came as we came out.  We performed, had a teeny nervous energy hiccup, that hopefully the crowd didn't notice, but it STILL kills me and we were done! That fast, it was over :-(

Analisse aka Bolivia and Amy aka Maizena

Madame and Paraiba



Me aka Figura "We're Done!"

Next up, was the Batizado!  This is a "baptism" where we earn our corda's aka belts.  First up were the kids.  Below is a video (compliments of Dad) from Nemo's take down along with some photos (compliments of Carla M. - Obrigada!)

This is how it always starts :-)

She's in front of you Pops!

Nice Ponce baby!



Nemo with his takedown Contra-Mestre Marisa of Chicago



Nemo and his beautiful schoolmate El-Lana...Too happy babies!  xoxoxoxoxo

 

Then, it was my turn for the take down...Funny, this was the ONLY video that Ed took that did not come out!  I will have to thank him later for that, because needless to say, I got my tail handed to me!  The anxiety that I already had was heightened when I realized I would come face to face with Professora Gata Brava.  Below are a few photos from my takedown!  As SOON as I get the video, I will upload the content.  It's only fair!



How can I escape?!

Please don't kill me!



You can tell by her face, that she is about to give me the BUISNESS!

Phew....just missed!  She spared my life!

It's almost like she's laughing at me!  Silly naive girl!  LOL!

I still thought she was going to trick me and take me down!



It was all love in the end!



In the end, we got our belts! :-)

 Finally, the day ended with another roda!  Some pics and video from this!

Use it Moment:

Every day I walk into the Academy I know that I am blessed!  Four days a week, (2 days for Nemo, 2 days for me) I go where I feel as though me and my family are a part of a family.  NEVER in a million years would you have caught this former Cheerleader say "I think I'm going to take martial arts!"  I use this as yet another connection with my son!  He is truly a Daddy's Boy, which is GREAT, but I am sort of left out since I don't do the "boy things" that they do!  (TFAD)  Nemo and I have played Capoeira in the living room.  He has learned the Maculele beat and we take turns using the hardwood flooring to play Maculele while one of us plays the drum....He gets such a kick out of the performance that Ed & I put on....  I use this to show him that it's cool to have an active Mom.  That shows him I love him and I want to be on this earth as long as I can for him!  Love you Pops!

Lose it Moment:

I was so intimidated by all of the talent and skill of the lovely Capoeiristas I had worked myself into a nervous frustration.  Why can't I hold a handstand?  Why can't I get as low as they do?  Why can't I have the flexibility that they do?  But then I realized, I have been doing this for less than 6 months.  I have gone outside of my comfort zone and have so much more to go!  This, my friends and family is Just the Beginning!

As long as I have these two beautiful people leading the way, I will have nothing but Axe!  Obrigada Mestre Gui and Madame!  Obrigattttta!  :-)

The head of our Capoeira Family Mestre Pinga Fogo and Madame  xoxoxoxo!