Workshop with Mestre Chicote

Mestre Chicote is a man who cares about capoeira and it's practitioners. He provided us with a wonderful workshop, and I'm lucky to share that this is my second workshop with Mestre. It's even better that this is the second workshop with him in a two week period (he taught a workshop at the CDO Jersey Shore batizado.) His presence is definitely prolonging his stay here.

The  warm up started with a Ginga that slowly sped up, followed  by basic kicks (Armada, Queixada, meia lua de compasso, etc.) We also jumped for a little bit with our hands held straight out from our sides, with our legs together. That slowly turned into us standing there in the same position. We resumed a cocorinha position with our hands still held straight to our sides. This of course seemed odd until he showed us what we were building up to. He then assumed a position of a negativa, while his hands were still held up straight. Of course it ten times harder then it sounds. We continued to move around in a circle holding our arms up. I'm ashamed to say that I have to practice that movement a lot more.

The negativa exercise  had a purpose. We continued with a sequence that forced us to troca-negative in a different manner. I learned a way to meia lua de compasso out of a negative even if our role is initially blocked. You stand up from the negativa and throw the meia lau. The purpose was more then just a physical sequence, but to think of how to react in certain situations, since all of capoeira is situational. I learn reactions to the blocks (other then the tradition tesoura de frente) as well as what to do after the block. I also need to work on my resistencia, which is really versatile.

All in all the workshop was really beneficial. Hopefully when Mestre comes back to the states we can have another. Specials to Mestre Chicote, Formando Costello, and the whole CDO Jersey Shore family. Tchau!