By Maria Ordonez
So, I was at Splash 2.0—Boston University’s spring club fair—when I found myself getting roped into a conversation at one of the booths: “Have you ever tried capoeira?”
The answer was a definitive, “No.”
For those of you who have never heard of capoeira, it is a blend of martial arts and dance that originated with slaves in Brazil as a way for them to defend themselves while at the same time staying connected to their African roots. Through the years it has grown in popularity for its acrobatics and artistry, and it turns out BU has its very own club.
The BU Capoeira Club was founded in 2017 and is currently lead by president Paul Dubau, a junior studying English and Advertising. He has been with the club since its conception and is extremely passionate about the social and cultural aspects of it.
Intrigued, I went to one of their meetings. They begin with some basic jogging and stretching – which I was totally prepared for – but then they started throwing in more advanced stuff like wrist stretches. That’s when I realized I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. I figured any activity that requires limber wrists has got to be a whole other level of physically demanding.
I’m going to be honest, I struggled more than I should have, and we hadn’t even gotten to the capoeira yet. Thankfully, the club is more than accepting of people of all experience levels. From beginners to experts, everyone is equally supportive of each other. As a matter of fact, when I was having a hard time (A.K.A., falling) during the stretches and wanted to give up, Paul was quick to encourage me: “You can do it, we believe in you.”
I persisted, and soon enough I was ready to move on to some capoeira!
This part of the meeting is run by an instructor, Guthemberg Teixeira from Mandingueiros Dos Palmares. He divides everyone by skill level into beginner, intermediate, and advanced groups. The beginners worked with him first, and with a friendly disposition, he taught us the basics.
Here are the three moves I mastered:
- Ginga: This is the foundation of every capoeira move. You basically just extend one leg behind you and lean forward on the other one while holding one arm up to protect your face. You then start shifting side to side to the beat of the music by alternating arms and legs. It’s actually not too bad once you get into the rhythm.
- Esquiva baixa: The name literally translates to escape or dodge. It’s like an exaggerated version of the ginga move where you bring yourself down low and lift your arm to cover your head. This was my favorite move because it’s easy to learn and protects my head from getting kicked. And who doesn’t appreciate that?
- Meia-lua de frente: This is one of the most basic kicks. It starts off, like everything else, in the ginga position. From there you bring forward the leg that’s extended behind you, shift your weight, and kick inwards with the other one. After that, you can either do it again with your other leg or slip right back into ginga and try something new.
Okay, I didn’t actually master them, but my skills were put to the test in what they call the roda. The roda is the meeting’s grand finale, and it consists of everyone standing one big circle while people go to the center in pairs show off their moves. And let me tell you, it is a vibe! There’s music, clapping, and people cheering you on whether you’re doing a backflip or a simple kick.
All in all, the BU Capoeira Club is definitely worth checking out. It’s the perfect place for people who want to learn more about Brazilian culture, get a good workout, or even just meet some cool people. They’re looking to expand this semester, so if you’re interested in checking them out:
The BU Capoeira Club meets at 700 Beacon Street on Mondays from 6:45 to 8:15 pm in Room 101 and Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 pm in Room 403. For more information visit the BU Capoeira Facebook page or email Paul at pdubau97@bu.edu.
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