Batizado 2008

So this time, I'll try to write it all out, though I can't remember everyone's names, or links to all the websites...

I wanted to be there on Wednesday. My teacher told me to ride down with a classmate on Friday. Friday comes and he gets a phone call from another classmate that his ride isn't going, and we've now got three in a car. Had I only known before... But 5:30am friday, I get a phone call saying that he's on his way. He goes to pick up Forte from his dorm and then they both drive down to get me from the 'Craft.

We get all three of us loaded in his two door Ford Ranger, plus all our bags and equipment and an on-the-road PS2. We're on the road for Illinois by 7am. Approximately five hours later (40 minutes of getting-lost detour) has us there and we'd arrived just in time for the morning roda. I did not jump in. Honestly, though, it was intimidating, with Eddie Gordo (of Tekken fame) and Virgulinho, and Suassuna... And everyone. At the end of the roda, Machinha, Virgulinho, and Espirro were attempting parafuzos to kick a sock that was hanging approximately seven feet (more or less) from the ground. Then we all drove across town to the gymnasium to start the afternoon workshops. We had an hour of warm up which, to me, could have passed for the first workshop (this is a recurring theme), and then one-hour workshops until about 5pm for clean-ourselves-up and dinner-party at the academy. We did not make it to the dinner-party (which was sad for me, because I had had about five and a half hours of sleep while my two other compatriots had about three each).

The next day, I'm up at 6:30am, breakfasting at Starbucks, ready to hit the road for the first things first at 11am. Nothing ever gets started on time, but that's fine. Killer warmup, and workshops and workshops and workshops. And workshops. I think it was Saturday that one of the workshops was directed by Mastre Marcelo Caveirinha (or, Eddie Gordo). At some point, there was a workshop with Mestra Marisa of Gingarte in Chicago, and Mestrissimo Suassuna. Amazing things. Went to a little party on Saturday... Played some guitar...

Sunday, I'm up at 630am, breakfasting with Cobra at Starbucks. Sunday's workshops was a warmup by Xará (which kicked my ass) and two hours of capoeira Angola, with Mestre Cabelo (who was in Querétaro two weeks beforehand with at least one of my friends from my old academy). I really like Angola, but I couldn't really get anything done by the time the warmup finished. And then the Batizado.

The mestres played before everyone else, I think... Amazing games. they kept an eye on the chandelier so that it didn't get kicked. And it was, you know, ceiling height. The little kids played and then had their batizado (and they were doing moves that I can't yet fathom how to do). That was cool.

Then it was green cords. I played against Paulo Batuta, and I wasn't quite able to keep my balance for the entire time... To the point that we started over once... And I really want to see the footage of my game... Forte played against Machinha (Machine) and that was a funny game... Esponja played against I don't know whom, but that game was amazing... Falao played against Marisa, and that game was amazing... Green-yellows played... My teacher got to keep his Blue-Yellow...

I forgot to mention earlier about the show on Friday night... Put on my Chad Dunn, percussionist extraordinaire... And the mestres played... There was a maculelé demonstration... Virgulinho showed off why he's so dangerous... It was an amazing show. I purchased Espirro's Capoeirence 2007 dvd, and a beriba bag and a necklace from Cabelo (who remembered the names of my friends in Mexico), and a cd of Mestrissimo Suassuna.

And then we drove back Sunday, about 7pm. Right inside Michigan, there was a horrible traffic accident, which was bad. But it gave us a lot of entertainment, because after 72 hours of which 13 hours was sleep, and much more than half was capoeira, and not really any food... We get loopy, especially being cooped up in a two door truck for hours on end. Got back home about 2am. Planned on getting up at 5:30am, but that didn't happen. Took at a job at 10am, and was at work by 11am.

Now I'm on Spring Break #2.