Roda De Rua 4 – This Sunday 15th November

Well so far, so good this round of Roda De Rua, we have covered samba, the beats behind samba and funk, and now this week we are tackling another style of dance, Maculelê.

Maculelê is a Brazilian dance form with African roots, it is played with each dancer holding a pair of sticks called grimas, which are traditionally made from the biriba wood. The dancers use the sticks to hit each against one another’s grimas, as well as their own, in tune with the atabaque (Drum). The more daring and experienced dancers perform the dance with machetes rather than sticks, often showing off sparks of light as the knives cross paths, adding to the atmosphere of the dance.

There are many theories about the origins of Maculelê, some say the dance was created by the slaves in the sugar cane fields, using the stalks of sugar cane and the facao (machete used to cut the sugar cane) to play Maculelê. Others say it was danced to practice self-defence techniques to use against the slave masters, and another legend tells of a man who was protecting the women and children of his village against an enemy tribe, the man beat off the attackers with sticks and died doing so, Maculelê is said to be a dance in his honour.

Whatever the origins of Maculelê, Capoeira schools worldwide still practice the art and incorporate the dance into performances and batizados. Most recently, Capoeira Aruanda in Germany performed a Maculelê routine during the recent Batizado in October 2009.

This Sunday, to help us through the workshop, we have invited some of our friends from Grupo Capoeira Nago to provide you with all the help you will need to learn the basic steps and rhythm of Maculelê.

Leading the class will be Graduada Marina. Marina began playing Capoeira in 1997 in Goiania, Brazil with Mestre Pequines. Marina has travelled extensively in Brazil playing Capoeira, and has even travelled to Europe numerous times to attend Capoeira events (Batizados de Capoeira). Joining Marina will be Formado Cabelo. Cabelo began training capoeira in 1996 in Goiania, Goiás in Brazil with Mestre Pequines, and has loved it ever since. He too has travelled to many places around the world to attend Capoeira events.

Marina and Thiago arrived in Sydney late 2008 and ever since have brought their energy to many of our classes and rodas, and we are happy to have them involved in teaching at Roda De Rua this year. I’ll leave you with a quote from Marina and Thiago about how they feel about Capoeira, and see you Sunday! – “We see Capoeira as a lifestyle, a source of energy, and happiness.”