Brazil
Capoeira
January 2006, Sao Paulo
Image: Cristo Redentor
Hi! Well we have reached South America and made it safely to Brazil. We are on the east coast of the country at the moment staying in Sao Paulo. It is the business capital of Brazil and with over 17 million people living here it is the third biggest city in the world. We are having lessons in Capoeira and have to make sure we give extra time to get to our studios in the morning as there is so much traffic congestion in the morning. This is definitely one of the busiest places we have been to.
We are working hard studying at one of the cities major Capoeira academies. Capoeira is a type of martial art which started here nearly 500 years ago. It is a special kind of art form that combines martial art, dance, music, and acrobatic movement. It began back in the 1500’s when African slaves used to join together sequences of movements to look like a dance. This way they could practise their self defence techniques without being punished by their masters. As Capoeira was linked with the activities of rebellious political groups it wasn’t actually made legal until the 1920s. Now it is recognised as a national sport and practised and taught all over the world.
When we take class, two people stand in the middle whilst the others form a circle around them. We have musicians who sound out a rhythm and we clap along to the beat. If you are in the middle you improvise with the person opposite in a series of energetic kicks, twists, ducks and flips. It is like a call and response back and forth between the two of you. You move in time with the music but you never actually make contact. When our teacher demonstrates he is so quick and strong, it really is impressive. This training is definitely helping us with our coordination, speed and strength and Jake thinks his flexibility has really improved.
We also found time to visit the famous Ibirapuera Park. The park is spread across 1.5 million square meters and has up to 150,000 visitors at the weekend. We went to visit the Modern Art Museum located in the park but my favourite part was seeing the buildings designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Take care
Giselle
November 2005, Rio de Janeiro
Image: Cristo Redentor
Albrecht
Giselle
Hello! How are you? We are fine and still on our world tour, performing in different ballets and exploring many different places. We are currently in Rio de Janeiro performing in Giselle at the Theatro Municipal, the most grand venue in the country for opera and ballet. The theatre opened in 1909 and was built to look like the magnificent Paris Opera House in France – what a wonderful place to perform in!
Rio de Janeiro has been Brazil’s capital for almost 200 years and although it is a busy city like any other it also has the most beautiful beaches within walking distance from the centre of town – what a nice way to spend the afternoon after school! Rio de Janeiro is also home to the very famous Corcovado (Hunch Mountain). At the top of this mountain is an enormous statue of Jesus Christ. At 125 feet high, the statue is one of the biggest in the world – higher than 20 people all standing on top of each other! We are hoping to have the time to go up the mountain and have a look at the view of the city from the top!
Take care