Transformation In Arts

Lane in Brazil: Day 16

3/27
This week has been powerful!  We went back to Conde where I engineered another recording session; my friend Preto (wearing the blue hat) led the singing.  His original ladainha (opening song) contains a pretty powerful political message.  I learned that around 150 years ago, there was a quilombo here (an underground colony of fugitive slaves). Listening to Preto’s words and the powerful chorus of Mestre Naldinho’s students here gave me chills.  Also, the drum I made was
used for the recording!

I also got to help Mestre Naldinho work in his garden, where he cultivates orchids and other exotic plants, and I helped him make berimbaus (several of which I am bringing home for my students and friends).  It feels great to find ways to support this wonderful community.

I also followed Marivan to another school where he teaches percussion classes.  The kids there are so talented and kind, and Marivan’s talent and teaching style are inspiring.

Lane in Brazil: Day 11

March 22
After a roda at Mestre Naldinho’s on Friday night, I headed out of town with Professor Sem Terra (literally “without land;” the capoeira nicknames are great) to Livremente, a small town on the outskirts of Joao Pessoa.  This guy has been studying capoeira with Mestre Naldinho since the early 90’s and he teaches classes to the local folks.  We walked around the countryside, picking & eating fruit (caju = cashew = a fruit with a seed ‘castanha’ on top which gringos believe is the cashew; olives = a sweet dark delicacy; jaca = big, alien-looking sticky sweet thing) and harvesting some beribas for making berimbaus. Sem Terra’s wife and kids are super nice and hospitable, and his students seemed wise beyond their years.  I made a recording for them to include in a compilation (more news to come).  On Saturday night, there was a roda in nearby Santa Rita.  Fun & ouch!  Some of these guys play pretty rough.

On sunday night, back in Joao Pessoa near the beach, some guys named Barata and Formiga (Cockroach and Ant) host a wekly roda, and I went to participate.  Capoeiristas came from all around the area get together, and the energy is great.

Lane in Brazil: Day 7

March 18, 2010
Oi gente!  Holy pandeiro, there´s so much to tell.  Yesterday I shadowed Marivan (the 26-year-old “professor” in Naldinho´s capoeira comunity who is also a professional musician/singer and cultural arts teacher of high-risk youth in institutional schools and programs).  He is a fireball with a huge heart and sincere smile.  I got to meet and have lunch with some of the kids he works with, and my Portuguese is coming back to me such that I was able to joke around with them and get them talking about their likes and goals. Everybody is so curious and welcoming, including marivan´s wife and daughter (who hosted me overnight).  We walked around the small town on the outskirts of Joao Pessoa and stopped to check out a Ubanda church holding their service.

During a break after the day’s capoeira and Afro dance classes, we walked to a field where cabaças (gourds used to make berimbaus, the principal capoeira musical instrument) were growing.  The community there is pretty distressed, and Marivan´s work via the Fabiano do Cristo NGO plays a vital role in enriching the lives of the youth there.  He thoughtfully weaves in themes and stories to help them cultivate pride in their African heritage, something Brazilian society has not traditionally held in high esteem.

Got back to Mestre Naldinho’s just in time for class, and surprise… he asked me to teach the movement portion.  So I taught a capoeira sequence to a bunch of Brazilians… kinda ironic… but I gave them a good physcal and mental workout.  After the Friday roda, I’m headed to Santa Rita to see what the grupozinho up there is up to.  I’m making some great recordings of the original songs from each of these satellite groups.  Looking forward to sharing them upon returning.
Abracos forte,
Lane “Polvo”

Lane in Brazil: Day 4

Monday March 15, 2010
This afternoon, Mestre Naldinho came home with some bull hides and asked me to help him make some drums.  He said that he originally saw old men in Salvador playing samba music on drums like these, and he spent some time studying their construction with a couple of them.  We cut & cleaned the gourds and hides, tied knots around metal rings, soaked the hides, and started fastening all the pieces together.
(Note: my Portland winter tan and many recent bites from Brazilian mosquitos!)  Now we´ll wait for the hides to dry before tightening them.  After all this, I went straight to a capoeira class with Profesor Barata…  and sweated!

Lane In Brazil : Day 3

I slept really well on Friday night, and we got up super early to head to Rio Grande Do Norte where Contra Mestre Arnor was having a capoeira event (a “festival,” as they are usually called).  Very few North Americans pass through this place,; it’s a pretty small town, and we walked through most of it from the bus stop.

Arnor has a solid group of mostly kids/teens, and about twenty people traveled from Joao Pessoa, as well as other cities, to help them celebrate their capoeira. 

It was hot, kinda intense, and lots of fun, and it culminated in a
double roda which allowed everybody to fully participate.

Not only was there uber capoeira, but Professor Marivan taught an
“Afro” dance class, which was accompanied by pounding percussion and
featured some very expressive movements that were new to me. 

Lane In Brazil : First 24 hours

After approximately 24 hours in airports and airplanes, I finally arrived in Joao Pessoa to find Mestre Naldinho waiting for me.  I had not seen him since 2008, and ever the trickster, he tried to hide behind the brim of his hat to see if I was paying attention.

After a much needed shower and nap,  I was invited to join a percussion class in the “academia” attached to the back of Naldinho’s house (which also happens to be my guest quarters!).  A couple of these drums were just finished yesterday.  It’s great to be back in Brazil!