This was a post I saw on Chan’s Soul Capoeira Blog/Site a while ago, and I’ve been meaning to appropriate it every since! I think I agree with his views when it comes to all-women rodas, etc., for fairly obvious reasons, but I also feel I need to do more thinking through of the matter, too. However, I’ll save that for some time later down the road. For now, witness some real mandingueiras in action!
Part 1
Part 2
Mandingueira 
I just found your blog, I’d love to hear you go more onto the reasons you agree with the view he mentioned, since I kind of go back and forth on issues surrounding events like this.
Thanks for visiting, Cenoura! You’ve probably noticed by now, but I replied to you in a new blog post. Hope it helps!
Nice! Now that’s some capoeira! The only thing I have to say is that these women are all about the same size so they are not really being forced to use much mandingueira in their game to compensate for size/weight differences.
Okay. . .about your post. I agree. I think that women’s only events are fine and are a personal choice. I might attend one of these events one of these days but prefer to train in a co-ed environment. At this point in capoeira, I see co-ed environments (generally speaking) as more competitive. I want to be the best I can be so training with men is for me. I could do without the mysogeny (sp?) that some men practice but as of now that is part of capoeira. If I am training to be a capoeirista then I have to train in a way that reflects the reality of capoeira. If you are training with all women you will not get as much of a range in terms of the weight and size differentials and as a result will develop less mandinga.
Hi Coruja, thanks for stopping by 😀 Yeah, that’s a good point about the video…it’s funny, that point keeps coming up these days, that of mixing up sizes…and if I think about it, in the past I have been used to seeing people buy in with others closer to their size, or at least not drastically different. (I.e. I’ve never felt comfortable buying in while two really tall guys are playing…although if it were a tall person and short/medium person I think it’d be fine.)
Misogyny 🙂 And that is another great point, so true. About your training reflecting reality, that’s similar to what Mike said about the roda supposed to represent life and thus include both sexes. I don’t know whether co-ed environments would actually be more competitive or not, but either way capoeiristas definitely have to learn how to deal with everything, not just half.
I think it is true what is being said, that female only Capoeira events do create some kind of separation and barriers which Capoeira should be all about breaking down. Absolutely the roda should be the ‘microcosm of life’ and therefore totally inclusive, and not exclusive. However, there is also something to be said for giving females in Capoeira the opportunity to share and instruct in skills and certain movements that could lend themselves well to a female Capoerista’s jogo and range of movements. While the girls do not tend to hang back and strut their popping-somersualt movements on the gym mat with the boys.. in my group there are a lot of skilled female players who like to hang back after class and support each other and show movements that can nourish our game.. not to be exclusive but just through our natural ‘flocking’ and supportive instincts.
That being said I think there is space for a female event which is just about females leading classes for both men and women, and the ‘female’ voice coming through in an instructional/educational, and not marginalising spirit… “pra ensinar!”
As a female instructor I am helping in organising an ‘encontro feminino’ for our group early next year and hope to be able to achieve something like this .. a male/female event with female direction. We have a male Master and many male instructors… so here we can give something unique hopefully.
During my 4 month stay in Salvador, that girl in the white tube top and red abadas gave me approximately 600 martelos to the head. In addition, to teaching me several painful lessons in the way of the jogo, she teaches (academics and Capoeira) in Mestre Bamba’s youth outreach program in addition to classes at Mestre Bamba’s academy all while working a full time job. She’s a superlady and a complete sweetheart.
Hi De,
Thanks for your comment. I think a lot of what you said is true, and best of luck with your upcoming encontro! I’d love to hear how it goes. =)
Hey Garca,
That’s awesome! Thanks for that information…it’s always nice to know more about people than just “you know, that person that did that move in that capoeira video” 🙂