Far from the skipping ropes, pokemon
cards and other activities of the playgrounds all over the world, the new trend
at the SDC is the Capoeira!
Short reminder for those who might
have missed the phenomenon:
According to Wikipedia®,
"Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that would find its roots in
the methods of warfare and in the dances of the African people of the time of
slavery in Brazil." In reality, capoeira is a sport that combines dance,
rhythmic movements and combat, and it is a way for our the SDC children to have
fun and especially to unwind!
On alternate Thursdays, two volunteer
teachers come to teach the art of capoeira to young during sessions of one hour
and a half. Prof and Kit, owners of Mandala centering place in Bacolod
therefore offer their time to mentor twenty children and introduce them to the
practice.
In addition to capoeira lessons, Prof,
whose capoeirista name is “Contra Mestre Parabolica” shares a few minutes at the
end of each session to give kids a lesson in good manners, for example,
reminding them why it is essential to have good hygiene or the importance of
respecting the adults who supervise them at the SDC.
Since the launching of the activity at
the beginning of 2014, children have shown a real interest in capoeira and
invest heavily during each session in order to progress.
Periodically, competitions are organized
to motivate the kids who now even practice by themselves in the dorms!
On November 15th, the Mandala centering
place was the scene of a major event, an important gathering of capoeiristas
who came straight from Brazil, Malaysia and Singapore. This day was an
opportunity for teachers to reward capoeiristas students by the rise in rank.
Capoeira grades are represented by ropes of different colors depending on the
level.
Joel, a children of the SDC who had
already distinguished himself as being particularly good at capoeira in recent
competitions at the center was invited to attend this event. While he was
initially supposed to simply join the group, Joel was finally rewarded by
“Contra Mestre Parabolica” who gave him his first grade: yellow and white rope!
Joel then got back to the center after a day full of emotions with his rope and
his new outfit of capoeirista offered by Prof!
Can you imagine a professionnal
capoeirista coming from the SDC?
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| Joel with his godfather of capoeira! |
