Capoeira Mandinga Manti Batizado

Last weekend I had the privilege of spending time with the legend that is Mestre Marcelo Caveirinha in our fledgling Capoeira Mandinga Manti’s first batizado.

What is Capoeira? If you’ve never heard of it, it’s worth checking out! It’s a Brazilian martial art form, but that’s a very basic and incomplete description. It’s also dance, music, a game, and a form of play (video example below). A batizado (literally translated from Portuguese as “baptism”) is an induction event for capoeiristas the world over.

Ours was actually the first batizato ever in Central Utah, as far as we know. There’s an active capoeira community in Salt Lake City, but aside from that…just desert (capoeira and otherwise!).

I’ve enjoyed playing berimbau, drums & percussion, and singing (in my shamefully sloppy Portuguese) most every Saturday this year. Having the illustrious visiting Mestres (also Mestre Indio) visit was a great occasion to tighten up some skills. Which means learning just how wrong everything I was playing and saying really is! But I do love learning, I love Brazilian music & culture, and I love being part of community like this.

Thanks to the visiting Mestres and to all who so generously contribute to the capoeira community!

(me, lower-right)

Here’s a video of Mestre Marcelo leading a batizado in China to give you some idea.