Call for Designs for Upcoming Youth Conference

    
As always, FICA-NYC brings us another innovative event - and you can be a part of it. This looks great!

New York Youth Conference Design

FICA New York is planning a youth conference in 2010. The theme of the conference is youth empowerment through activism. We will be providing capoeira workshops, dance and music classes, and a service project for the youth in attendance.

We are calling all artistically inclined individuals for image submissions for the conference. The selected image should convey the theme of the conference in a fun and exciting way. Remember our audience will be youth interested in capoeira. We expect to use the image on shirts and posters for the event. Let your creative side loose.

Send your works and questions to ficany[at]gmail[dot]com.

Good Luck!

Get your design on, friends!

And check back for more information on the event. Its going to be great for the kiddies.

Thanks to Njoli.
     

Berlin, Germany: Workshops with M Roberval

    
Capoeira Angola with Mestre Roberval

12/30
7 - 9 pm

12/31
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Torstr 109
Telephone: 030 4495738
Email: info (at) jangada (dot) com
    

Capoeira Angola in Hawaii

    

A note from Hawaii:

It was the first Capoeira Angola event in our new space, which is on the land where we have created a small homestead. Our space sits fifty feet from our house in front of the goat and chicken yard. We are excited to incorporate sustainable living and permaculture principles; planting bananas, fruit trees, papayas, taro and cassava, greens and vegetables, bee keeping, composting, mulching and living simpler and closer with nature. Since the first times that Mestre Jurandir and Contramestre Silvinho came to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2006 our group has been moving forward day by day, and today, with the blessing of our Mestre, we are able to hang our berimbaus on a wall devoted to this beautiful art form. Today we can light a candle and incense to remind us of the ones who came before us so that we can enjoy Capoeira Angola.

While Contramestre Silvinho was here we trained every morning and had workshops every evening. We promoted Capoeira Angola at the University with a free demo/first time workshop. The next day we did a demonstration at the annual parade in the historic downtown Pahoa. Students, who were taking a sabbatical from the group, joined us for the weekend of fun and challenge and learned more about group participation and community connection. When asked by Contramestre Silvinho, "What is Capoeira Angola", the kids from our local school program responded with answers such as, "to make friends", "respect", "martial art", "dance", "working together" and "music". And so, with gratitude in our hearts and the continued support of Mestre Jurandir, Contramestre Silvinho and FICA, Capoeira Angola continues to enhance our community here in Hawaii.

Many thanks to Joe, leader of the group in Hawaii for the report. Make sure to give him a call if you are headed to Hawaii. Sounds like pretty good living...
   

Closing 2009, Opening 2010

 
Another year has passed by and we are on the precipice of a new year. Let's play capoeira!

2009 End of the Year Rodas
dec 19
FICA-Bahia, 9:30 am
FICA-DC, 11 am


dec 20
FICA-NYC, 11 am
FICA-DF, 2 pm

2010 Opening Rodas
jan 9
FICA-Bahia, 9:30 am

Want to add your group's rodas to the list? Send us a note at ficadcarchives (at) gmail (dot) com
  

Salvador, Bahia: M Gigante CD Release

     

CD Release

Mestre Gigante
O Canto do Berbimbauman

Dec 19
10 am
at Casa da Mandinga

Rua Comendador José Alves Ferreira, 160, Garcia
Price, R$20
All proceeds of CD sales will go to M Gigante
     

Zumbi Pastinha Weekend 2009

  

FICA-DC hosted the annual Zumbi-Pastinha Weekend Encounter this year from November 12 - 14. Each day started with a 6 am morning training with M Cobra Mansa, and the hard training continued all day with workshops led by Mestre Jurandir, Mestre Valmir, M Cobra Mansa, and Contramestre Silvinho. We were also happy to have the presence of Contramestre Chorao, down from Boston, as well as many people from all over the country.

Besides training, we watched the film "Rhytmic Uprisings" and had a discussion with the film's directors. We also had a great party, hosted by legendary DC partyman Gaucho Dan, and many exciting rodas.

Can't hardly wait til the next one...

Thanks to Merle, Deepa and Celeste for the pictures.

If you have pictures that you would like to share, send us a link at: ficadcarchives (at) gmail (dot) com
 

Oakland, California, USA: Women's Conference 2010!

  

Mark your calendars!

FICA-Oakland is proud to invite you all to "Puxa, puxa! Leva, leva!", the 2010 Women's Conference to be held in Oakland, California, March 12 - 14, 2010.

Check back for more information soon.

Thanks to Kweeks for the information.
 

Salvador, Brasil: cd release, birthday party & workshop

 

Vem vadiar mais eu mano meu!

55 Years of Capoeira Angola
Mestre Virgílio da Fazenda Grande

CD Release
“Capoeira Angola na Travessia do Mar”

December 20, 2009

A Special Invitation
We would like to invite all capoeiristas to participate in our celebration of Mestre Virgílio’s 55th birthday, including his 55 years of resistance and practice of Capoeira Angola, on December 20 in Salvador, Bahia. Please bring your students to celebrate one of the great mestres of Capoeira Angola in Bahia.

Below is our event schedule. All events are free.

Also, the new CD will be sold at the event for R$15

Schedule of Events
9 am, movement class with invited mestres
11 am, Lecture: “The Tradition of Capoeira Angola as Social Education”, Mestre Roxinho
12 noon, Rhythm Class and Singing with invited mestres
1 pm, traditional Capoeira Angola roda and Samba de Roda
3 pm, Caruru

All activities are free!
Fruit will be served during the activities.

Place: Espaço Cultural Ana Amelia, Rua Melo Moraes Filho ao lado da Cesta do Povo
Neighborhood: Fazenda Grande Do Retiro- Salvador Bahia

Organized by:
Escola de Capoeira Angola 1◦ de Maio & ECAMAR Sydney
Mestre Virgílio & Uildes
Telephone: 071-8890-3295
E-mail: mestrevirgilio (at) hotmail (dot) com

Thanks to Paulo M for the information.
 

FICA-NY Website Re-launch

  
FICA-NYC has been busy re-designing its website. Check it out!

sometimes it's necessary to renew and revitalize the energies, to reevaluate our sense of purpose. rolling into yet another year here in new york, we've decided to take a good long look at the things we'd like to highlight, the things which make us special and a vital part of our smaller and larger communities. being here in such a cultural hub, nyc, we realize ourselves as strong devotees to the arts and see FICA NY as a wonderful forum to exhibit all of the arts which truly strive to propogate our values, the importance of culture, kinship, community, family and home.

as well, having a group full with educators, our dedication to youth work is a sort of given. we're trying, in every mode, to find new ways of addressing the hopes, aspirations and needs of our local young people and are "burning the candles" to maintain a presence in the public schools (elementary through high), universities, and co/extra curricular programs. we are, as well, currently in the midst of developing and designing the FICA Youth Conference.

all this being said, a viewable expression of these aspects needed to be designed in order that we might share the excitement we feel for all the up and comings. so here we are. as of saturday, december 5th, FICA NY - Study Group will re-launch itself with a new and inspired website (special thanks to our remarkable web team puck and shayna), complete with blogs, videos, photos. only a week later we will release some of the collaborative video work we've been putting together with local artist, benton greene. and yes!!! just one week later!! we'll be opening our new online art gallery, with the sole purpose of featuring some of the remarkable artisans within the FICA family. the gallery will be a venue for relevant photos, sculpture, paintings and visual arts of all sorts which represent the heart and sentiment of this socio-cultural movement (we hope you will put us in contact with anyone you think we might want to show).

we will also soon be releasing a special students section (password protected for FICA students) which will carry portuguese language learning resources, diasporic history materials, etc. we would love your input on things you would like to see included in this portion. the idea was to create this as a tool and incentive to those new and old FICA students looking to expand their knowledge and ability.

we thank everyone for all the support they've given us over the past few years and hope that the new old FICA NY can continue to put as much into the pot as it takes away.

Sincerely,

FICA NY - Study Group

  

Eparrei!!: celebration in Pelourinho

 

Today in Salvador, hundreds of people will pour into Pelourinho to pay hommage to Santa Bárbara, who is syncretized with Iansã in many terreiros. Here are some pictures from the festival last year, courtesy of Fabricio and some other folks.

Enjoy!

By the way, its probably not a good day to go shopping for those capoeira pants you saw in Pelourinho...
 

Salvador, Brazil: Book Drop this Friday

  
Book Drop: Capoeira, Identidade e Gênero: Ensaios sobre a história social da Capoeira no Brasil (Capoeira, Identity and Gender: Essays on the social history of capoeira in Brazil) by Josivaldo Pires de Oliveira and Luiz Augusto Pinheiro Leal

Friday, December 4, 2009
Biblioteca Central da UFBA, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Campus de Ondina, Salvador – BA
Retail: R$ 30,00
Special Offer (available only at release event): R$ 25,00