The Maverick Tribe

Those of you Mavericktribesmen and -women who hang out with me on a regular basis know that my latest pursuit that I simply won't shut up about is capoeira.  Capoeira is a martial artform developed and practiced in Brazil by slaves of African descent (most are thought to trace their roots to Angola, and capoeira is probably derived from cultural traditions practiced there).  Stories about capoeira's genesis differ, but one theory holds that the slaves wanted to practice their fighting skills without their Portuguese slaveowners knowing, so they disguised their practice as a song and dance routine.  The art of capoeira is the result.

So anyway, in a couple weeks I'll be participating in my capoeira school's Batizado ("baptism"), where I'll be getting my color cord (similar to a particular color belt in karate).  At this time I'll be officially christened "Calango".   Don't ask me why I got this name... calango is the portuguese word for a type of lizard.  Is there something about me that's reptilian?  Well at least I didn't get Pao de Azucar ("sugarloaf"), which was (somewhat callously) given to a fellow newbie who is, shall we say, a tad on the chunky side.

Here's a taste of capoeira heavy on the acrobatics:

Here's a short reel about my school: