By Gemma Brosnan
Tired of relentless treadmills and looking for a way to beat the winter blues? Or perhaps you’re just looking for an exciting way to get fit with an activity rich in cultural roots? Then why not come along to an international capoeira festival this weekend to find out more.
The Union of Nations is an event designed to introduce the art of capoeira to the masses and celebrate this unique tradition with a mixture of workshops for both children and adults and displays and shows by a range of abilities, from beginners to masters.
Capoeira is at once a playful dance, a form of martial arts, a game, a musical experience and one of the few modes of fitness which allows you to not only get in shape, but also preserve an ancient, multidiscipline art form, tracing its roots to Brazil 500 years ago when Africans enslaved by the Portuguese used it to train, undercover, in martial arts and trick the enemy.
Those tricks happen in a roda, or circle, of people playing traditional instruments like drums and a berimbau, which looks like a long rod with a wire and weighted ball strung on it.
Two people will meet in the roda to play capoeira -- they spin, do handstands and kick, all in apparent synchronisation. One kicks high, the other ducks. One spins left, the other right. It's like a dance -- and that's the point, because it’s much more fun than just regular martial arts.
There is no contact, no violence, only the hint that the same moves could be used to fight and beyond the physical, capoeira is a mental exercise. Most of the students start with no gymnastic experience and gradually build strength flexibility and technique as they work through their belts.
To find out more and watch experts in action go to http://www.capoeira4u.co.uk
For those of you still not convinced of the benefits, there will also be free refreshments, Brazilian food, massage, gifts and a traditional Brazilian orchestra to keep you entertained.
The Union of Nations take place at Oxford House, Derbyshire St, Bethnal Green, E2 this Saturday November 21 from 13.00-1 9.00 and everyone is welcome.
For more information call Hiram on 07908 433195
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