#mighty hip

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#handsup

shot by superduperrich in NYC

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PoetryzChyld & the myth of the gay demon

MH: Tell us who you are.

P: Names PoetryzChyld I began writing poetry at the age of 13. Been writing for 20 years.  I am a three time published author I have a cd and I run two open mics. "Mic Check" and "Pens and Swords". I'm 33 years old and I'm just all out fun.

MH: You sure look younger then you are. I take it you are not a heavy drinker or drug user.

P: I get that often. [LAUGHS] I do not do drugs I do not smoke anymore and that's cigarettes. Never did any marijuana. [CHUCKLES] I drink socially. Social drinking for me is just one or two glasses of wine.

MH: Wine guy not a beer guy?

P: Every once in a while I sneak in a Corona or a Tecate but other than that I need my red wine. I like the bitter dry taste of a red wine. I owe me drinking wine to my sister she actually opened my eyes to a world of everything. Because I used to be a one track minded individual. She made me know it was okay to step out of the realm. Even down to music, movies, clothing, my friends, everything. Just to embrace everything.

MH: Three books. When did you write your first one?

P: I was 23 when I wrote my first one. I have over 465 poems. Back then it was maybe a hundred and something poems.  I went to an art gallery where I experienced an open mic for the first time located in Clinton and the curator and I became the best of friends. He was the one that prompted me to do a book. I looked up publishing companies and I self published my first book "Moods Ring".  I did not have a cover or anything and a local artist named James donated one of his paintings to me for the cover of my book. That painting now hangs in an art gallery in New York City. So I have a famous artist's work as my cover. But it was because of Kwame that I had the fire put up under me to publish my first book. Back then I was going under the name, pen name, Moodz. Two years ago I changed my name to PoetryzChyld, because I am a child of poetry. I mean that because poetry saved my life and gave birth to who I am today.

MH: In light of the recent suicide of Robin Williams, when you say saved my life do you mean that literally?

P: I mean that in every sense of life.  I battled depression. Emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse from childhood up to the age of, I want to say 18. So yes poetry saved my life.  My very first poem was a suicide letter.

MH: Tell us about the books.

P: "Moodz Ring" was introduced in 2003. It was broken down into chapters and it was basically my introduction to the art world. It dealt with happiness, it dealt with sex. It dealt with my homosexuality, my pain, my abuse. It dealt with everything going on with me at that time.

"Voices Carry" came four years later, wait, sorry it came five years later in 2008. Same thing it was about where I was at during that time.

"Coloring Outside the Lines" came five years later as well and that was me settling in within my skin. Getting comfortable within, with who I am. Accepting everything there is about me so that I can actually move forward as a person and as an artist.

My CD was titled "Emotions of an Echo". That was me telling the world who I am and I will not change or settle or back down.

MH: The poetry field has a certain progression I notice. People start out talking about me, me, me, and not about broad issues.  Some are deft enough to discuss themselves in a broader way.  For example we all have heard the relationship poem, "He or she left me, after all this sex. I performed sex this way... They did this to me, and now I feel... ". I think it may be because poetry is a healing process for many. Broader picture might be, "I'm a good person, you are a smart person, I was a great partner. Why is the black relationship so hard for us and how do we solve it?" In light of that, what are your goals with your poetry? 

P: I want to be known as a beacon. I don't want to be taken for granted or used in vain. I want people to know I have been there, my struggles. Love, hate, sex, bad relationships, abuse, finding out who you are everyday, just letting someone know that you are not alone going through that. Just knowing that you have someone there with you. I don't want my poetry to be a band-aid for what they are going through at that time.  I want them to dive in to it. To progress and grow as a person above the present obstacle or circumstance they are facing.

MH: So there was a time when you were struggling with yourself, am I right?

P: Yes you are.

MH: When did you come to your empowering moment when you knew you weren't changing for anyone?

P: I came to this conclusion when I actually came out of the closet at the age of sixteen. It was there that I started to unravel emotionally. Still not knowing how to deal with everything that I have experienced. But I knew I had to deal with it at a very early age. I couldn't let myself go on anymore or any longer feeling the way I was feeling. Making other people feel bad because I was feeling bad. You know the old saying misery loves company. And I was a miserable ass person. [LAUGHS] At the age of sixteen it was a huge responsibility, and the thought process was there but I didn't know how to deal with it. So I would say sixteen planted the seed for me to say "You know you need to get yourself together". It wasn't until the age of 20 that I started to see everything for what it was. There were times when I wouldn't even look into a mirror because I did not like the way I looked. I was always told I was ugly. I used to walk around with my head lowered. It was 20 when I realized you are more then what anybody has told you, and that's friends and family. Don't let them chain you to the bullsh*t. You don't have to drink their poison and think that it's kool-aid. Again misery loves company and they were miserable to me.

 So I embrace everybody that I come in contact with. I love them for who they are. I appreciate them for who they are. Even if they get on my nerves.

MH: You say people called you ugly. Was it the fact that you are gay or that they thought you were ugly?

P: It was not my homosexuality it was more so them just being mean assh#les. They won. I was weak back then when I was a younger person.  I lost my mother at the age of ten and she was my main source of everything. I relied on her for everything and she passed away. I felt abandoned. I felt betrayed and my father was not in the picture. So I relied on what I had to rely on, family members.   They would call me out of my name. Like I said I was weaker then.

MH: Do you help others in anyway?

P: I have a few younger people who are under my belt now. They have adopted me as either their bigger brother or uncle. They call me their mentor and they come to me with every problem they have. I talk them off of the ledge. I have even geared them towards writing poetry. They are really damn good.

MH: Are you a reader?

P: I am and I'm not and that's funny because I'll read when I research but I don't sit down and say, "Lemme read". I'm not that type of person. I do not despise reading, it's just not a hobby of mine. 

MH: There can be a self centered side to poetry. They stand up to read and be heard but they are not listening to others or reading. 

P: And I agree.[LAUGH]

MH: Thus they are saying things that others have said before them in a better way.  The question then becomes are we being the vanguard of this art-form that we love? We recognize this flaw and do not tell people to read more.

P: Reading opens up your mind. Again I don't despise reading. I research because I can't write about a topic I don't know about. I tell those that I mentor "Don't be afraid to listen to other people".  You have to grow. You don't want to be in that one place.  That one flow. That one cadence.

MH: Okay the cadence. Let's get into the cadence.  Can we once and for all bury that all too familiar cadence? [LAUGH] 

P: [LAUGH]

MH: I don't know, maybe there is a reason why black folks naturally use that flow.  I am always happy to hear a unique rhythm.

P: I think for some they think that the only way for them to be heard is with that cadence. I tell people find your own voice, be your own person and don't even try to write like them. I have been told all the time that I don't write like typical poets. I tell a story with my poetry. There are poets I love and I tell them I look up to their writing but it would be very dishonest of me to sit there and copy their form. I wouldn't be passing me on I would be further passing them on. Then I would be labelled a fraud. I never got that. I think they just think that is how they think they have to do poetry.  Anyway, to each his own.

MH: Who are your influences?

P: Maya Angelou for obvious reasons...

MH: Hold up. Most people would say Maya. She writes very broad and it is powerful. She is not writing about the guy that had sex with her.  This is what I meant earlier about broader scope in writing or subject matter. The reason why I am interviewing you is that you uploaded a piece on MightyHip.com that was powerful. [LAUGH] Sorry to go off on a tangent but feel free to go back to influences or address this comment.

P: My writing has been characterized as being very straight forward and loud. Loud meaning open. I don't hold anything back, it is what it is. I was approached by someone and he asked me "Why do you have to be so vulgar and so brutal when you write?" My response was that life and reality are both brutal and vulgar.

    Now, Maya Angelou is a very strong writer, a very strong person very strong everything and her presence speaks volumes. That's what I want in my writing. Janet Jackson, she fought for her own individuality. She made her own name.

MH: Individuality. People are going to look at the pictures and see your hair. Tell me about your look.

P: I like to be bold. That's why I did it. My writing is bold, I'm a bold person and whatever I do, tattoo, pierces whatever has to be fitting of my personality and my characteristics. What other way than to be blonde and blue. The blonde represents me being open and the blue represents that one part of my life that says "Yes don't forget about the hurt, the depression that artistic part of you". So it's about a "come full circle" it's safe to say. It's a whole presentation of who you are.

MH: Finish this sentence. "Beauty is..."

P:  [PAUSE] Beauty is however translated by the person who is the most tragic. You can take something very negative and find the positive out of everything. That's the beauty of it. I find beauty in tragedy. You can be that scar for the rest of your life or you can be that tattoo from what life threw at you.

MH: Your thoughts on religion and how it shaped you?  I noticed you prayed before you began to eat.

P: I believe in God. I do. I believe in Jesus. I do. I don't believe in religion. Religion is a chain down process that actually makes you scared of the world. 'Cause it tells you "Don't do this, don't do that, watch out for this. Oh my God! Here comes hell". 

MH: [LAUGH]

P: The confinements of religion I don't deal with. But I do believe in God. As long as you're doing good by people then you are good in his eyes. Because after all you were made in his image.

MH: Are we allowed to pick and choose scripture? What are you basing your understanding of God on?

P: See that's just people being cryptic. Using it for band-aid purposes just to get their point across or trying to prove a point. All in all they are doing something totally opposite of what they are preaching or using the scripture for.

MH: The history of the world is riddled with religious hypocrisy. It doesn't sound like you are angry at religion.The piece that you put on MightyHip.com regarding religion and your homosexuality would lead one to think you have a right to be angry.

P: I'm not at all. I allowed the religion not the people, 'cause they were only doing what the religion was telling them to do. I allowed the religion to open my eyes and see the actual better in everything. Again the negative in the religion showed me the positive of the other people. I remember them trying to pray the gay out of me. I remember them laying hands on me, throwing oil on me. Praying over me to remove this demon.

MH: That's comical to me. How old were you?

P: At this time it was before I was out the closet, I was 14 when that happened.

MH: Someone threw oil at you? Anointed your head with oil. [LAUGH]

P: Mm hmm cross and everything.

MH: They thought that that would...

P: Remove the gay demon from out of me.

MH: [LAUGHING]

P: I laugh at it. I do. Well I look at it now that they were just sad.

MH: Is there any proof of a gay demon being removed from anybody?

P: When people say I have been delivered from homosexuality, well okay, do you. I'm proud that you think that the gay demon has been exorcised from you.[CHUCKLE]

MH: [LAUGH]

P: I don't believe it's a choice. I've always said homosexuality, it's who you are. You can't help who you love, who you are attracted to.  Yes the devil plays tricks on you, but why would he trick you into loving somebody so much that you would want to give your life for them. That you would do everything and anything to protect them. You know, he would be against that. At least when I was growing up the devil was about evil. God was about love.

MH: Have you had a relationship that you wanted to take marriage?

P: I am single now. I am not ready for it there are things that I need in place before I bring someone into my mess. But I have been there, a relationship where I was madly in love, I breathed the air this person breathed. I tried to mimic their footsteps because that is how much I loved them. It didn't work out.

M: So does it get old when people want to talk to you about relationships and sex issues once people know you are a homosexual.  I mean I meet people and talk about everything but relationships, love and sex.

P: It doesn't bother me I'd rather have questions asked versus assumptions made. What does bother me is when they don't ask the questions.

MH: Back to the poetry do you have a style or signature?

P: No I just do me. I don't try to fit cadences. I don't try to put myself out there with a certain style or form. Wherever my pen guides itself I let it go.

MH: Is there anything you want to advocate for that the public should know?

P: Don't be closed minded. Be open to any and everything. You don't have to like it, that's fine, just don't be disrespectful towards it no matter what it is. Just be someone who is understanding someone who can embrace whatever it is that is not understood. Don't make people feel like an outcast. There's enough of that going on now.

MH: Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing more of your work on MightyHip.

P:  Thank you and you will.

Editors note: 

Mic Check every Monday @ Culture Coffee 709 Kennedy St NW Washington DC

Pens and Swords every third Saturday @ BCAFE 3740 12th st NE WAshington DC

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Good morning to all the sleepy lovebirds from MightyHip. Shoutout to dentonburrows for this awesome graffiti!

Photo taken by superduperrich while in NYC

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MightyHip Founder Ian Glispy with the host of the Nuyorican Poetry Slam, Jive Poetic.

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MightyHip & 2 featured artists, took a road trip from the DMV up to The Big Apple to take part in an original Poetry Slam at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

More content to follow! Stay tuned and GET HIP!

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The Artsy Part of Town

Article by Antonia Perdu

#SolFlowLive is MightyHip!

On the 6th of August, the rain held off, and I planned to check out an event called #SolFLOW Live! This event was celebrating Q & Blaqstarr's EP releases at Play Hookah Room on 4 W 21st St in Baltimore, MD 21218. I always enjoy being in 'The Artsy Part of Town,' even though I try to make any part of Baltimore, 'The Artsy Part of Town.'  "#SolFLOW live is a weekly artist showcase highlighting a diverse and talented array of artists. Each week, they give a couple of artists the stage to make it their own; connecting them with media and art lovers." This event is hosted by arts and community advocate Mia Loving.

Mia Loving studied broadcasting and telecommunications at Temple University. As an educator and arts organizer, Mia has a sincere relationship with the community and many on the Baltimore Art Scene know about Mia as the founder of Cre3Sol Stew, a variation of the Spanish word "Crisol" roughly meaning "Melting pot." 'Cre3Sol is a collection of young artists, independent businesses, and art lovers in Baltimore, Maryland.' She is dedicated to creating a healthy arts and cultural environment. I first briefly encountered Mia at a Beats, Bars, and Brushes event at The City of Gods Clothing Shop and I enjoyed what the event offered, so I knew #SolFLOW Live would be a great experience!

While entering Play Hookah Lounge, I was greeted by smiles of the Owner, Catrina Friday, and the sweet scent of fruit flavored hookahs. Play Hookah has a very inviting feel to it with its dim lights and brick walls while some tables are surrounded by couches and lounge chairs. Its comfortable setting is a nice place for dates and a laid back evenings with friends. Its ambiance is very sensual and relaxing as the smell of sweet smoke fills the air. Couches that are adorned with pillows which makes customers feel very at ease and relaxed as they share their hookah with their close friends or relatives. This venue allows individuals to socialize with other enthusiasts while providing a unique cultural experience not found in traditional shops or cafes. From 7-9pm Play Hookah hosted a Hookah Cocktail Hour (featuring $12 hookahs & complimentary wine). The refreshment menu was extended to small bites such as pita with hummus, nachos with cheese and salsa, and turtle cheesecake. I enjoyed the mellow atmosphere while the projector played a Sade Live in Concert DVD. I was anxious to see the features because I looked forward to learning more about these EPs. I chatted with Mia Loving about upcoming projects, education, and new adventures in Baltimore before showtime. Each week at #SolFLOW Live!, there is a live taping for a web series being released through the media sponsors of the event; Good News Baltimore and Openfly Magazine.

I have enjoyed the DJ sets of Blaqstarr since middle school. I listened more heavily in high school, because I loved to dance. There were many times that Blaqstarr would be spinning at a Carver High School Party and my friends would invite me to come dance. So my introduction to the work of Blaqstarr was initially with the Baltimore Club Music Scene. Then as I left for college it extended to seeing Blaqstarr work with Rye-Rye, Diplo, and M.I.A. I was seeing Blaqstarr producing more. I could drop many more names, but his work really speaks for itself. I was excited that his craft was reaching individuals worldwide and representing Baltimore.

Quinton "Q" Randall, wears music as his second skin. His distinctive growling vocals release the sounds of Baltimore Blues. Baltimore Blues is something that has many ingredients that are collected from all over Baltimore and prepared in the Chesapeake Bay. Q's songs are fused with so much I call it a funky pot of gumbo. His originals contains lyrics that convey such emotional immediacy. The Cleanse EP is about healing and releasing those emotions. He decided to cover songs from those most influential to him, two local artists here in Baltimore, and one from Texas. Quinton Randall decided to take a big step and come from behind accompanying singers and decided it was time to use his voice and transform his poetic thoughts into song. He has grown as a singer and songwriter in the past year and it has been a great help in a healing process for him.

9-11pm Show time! What just went down, was something I didn't expect. It's one thing to love the artists work but it's another when you learn something new about each artist. At #SolFLOW Live, Blaqstarr gave us some artistic introspection about his creations along with what we can expect for his EP Trinity Released August 19th. Blaqstarr also gave us what we can expect from his book. Last year, I learned that Blaqstarr can sing and play guitar. His corduroy vocals had me in awe after first hearing him sing in his latest video "Dear Diamond" ft. Common. What made it better was hearing him Live at his Bare Soul feature just weeks before, at Terra Cafe. His cover of "When Doves Cry," is just brilliant. His video clips merged with songs showcased his talent as a multi-media visual artist. Pleasing to eyes and ears. A member of the audience was filled with excitement as she whispered "He reminds me of Prince!" Q's performance was stellar. For the first half of his set, he performed 3 covers, and the second half he performed 3 originals that will be on 'The Cleanse EP.' Q dug both heels in on a cover that Jimi Hendrix did of Bob Dylan's called "All Around The WatchTower." I have seen Q perform many times, but I have never heard him like that before. In rare form he even broke a string and still executed the stage with finesse. #SolFLOW Live was an overall nostalgic and intimate evening with impact. #SolFLOW -creating experiences, two artists at a time. A great place to network, and MightyHip's presence was in the building. #SolFLOW Live is Mighty Hip!

I was so inspired by this experience, that I wrote down on a napkin: "So much pressure to be a diamond. I just want to be like the water, and FLOW." #SolFLOW inspirations.

If you are ever in the Artsy Part of Town check out #SolFLOW Live! Contribute and share the GoFundMe Campaign for Cre3sol at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-support-cre3sol-s-arts-community-incubator#home

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Great shot by Janet Hanson from Artscape in Baltimore

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Women Who Kick, Capoeira Style

Q&A with CanePiece

Sitting at a cafe in D.C. on a cool summer day.   These three women sitting with me were hard to get a hold of. A natural inclination for anyone playing capoeira.  They lead very active lives. Beautiful, smart, conscious, and strong are a few of the words that describe these artists. You better beware however, for these women are also malandra* in a roda* and they will trip you and laugh!

MH: Please share your names with our readers?

K: I'm Katie.

D: Deepa.

F:  Felicia.

MH:  Do you have any titles or special names in your group?

F:  No.

D:  No.

K:  No I don't.

MH:  You guys don't have nick-names!

D:  They do!

K:  [LAUGHING]

F:  [SMILING] Deepa if you're going to disturb our answers we're gonna be upset.

MH: Why are you lying? Tell me your nick-name.

F: No.

K: They aren't real nick-names.

F: Why do you ask?

MH: I just want to know what you go by. Maybe you don't go by...

F: I'm Felicia.

MH: I mean, Cobra goes by Cobra Mansa*.

(*COBRA MANSA IS A LIVING LEGEND IN CAPOEIRA)

K & D: [LAUGH]

F: When people call me other things I don't respond.

MH: Okay. I see. So the nick-name actually nicks you.

K: That's right it has the opposite effect.

MH:  So why aren't any of you ladies afraid of being kicked in the face?

F:  Capoeira's a game so the ultimate objective is not to kick people in the face. So because it is embedded in the way that we practice and play capoeira there's not that fear that it is going to happen to you. Sometimes it can happen by accident but we know that the people we are training with have developed a way of controlling their movements so that it's usually not very painful.  And if you are worried that the person is that kind of person, there are ways that you could avoid playing that person.

MH: [AT DEEPA] I've heard you've been kicked in the face.

D: I have. I had my nose broken three months into capoeira.  I never really thought about that. It didn't scare me off.

MH:  The reason why I am asking is that I asked some women if they knew what capoeira was.  They said, "Oh that Brazilian karate thing, I'd be scared of getting kicked in the face." So it made me wonder, because some people have that initial fear of contact.  If it were karate it could be the same thing, not wanting to be hit.  Whereas you all are braver than the average person.

K: Or the opposite.

MH: [LAUGHING] or crazier.

D:  I think you start to trust your instincts more. Sometimes you get this sense, for whatever reason, maybe I should end this game now.  I think in retrospect those signs were there and I ignored them.  So I trust that now and go with it.

K:  I think it is tough. Capoeira is tough. The people that stick with it, that appeals to them in some way. It helps you deal with things better when you are exposed to it.  I did different martial arts before so it appeals to me in some way.  So even if it is not a kick in the face, I will always remember Felicia's first class, it was four hours long.  It was tough. Our head was on the floor, grinding our head on the floor, on a concrete floor. We are welcoming in that people can drop by but it is difficult in a lot of ways.  It is not going to be like a yoga class.

MH:  So what brought you all to capoeira?

F:  It just appealed to me.  I saw it and it appealed to me for different reasons, the music, the style of the movement, the philosophy behind it.

MH:  The philosophy!  That means that you really got into it somehow.

F:  You know I saw it and I didn't really think about it for a long time and I had studied other philosophy and history from the region capoeira is from, Central Africa and someone had mentioned to me come to this class and I went there and I realized it was the same thing I had seen before. I just keep going.

D: I had seen it when I was abroad in Argentina, and I had never heard of it.  When I went back to where I was in school it started appearing everywhere.  When I went to the first class the thing that appealed to me was the community aspect.  The team.  I grew up very focused on team sports, playing soccer was my life.  The community. Seeing that that existed really appealed to me.  That sense of community.

K:  I had generally heard about capoeira. Before capoeira I had done muay thai and gotten pretty into it, I remember after an event someone came up to me and said you really have to have more fun.  It was someone who had done capoeira.  So I thought about it for a bit and I was looking for some outlet that combined certain things that appealed to me.  I lived in central africa for a few years so certainly that music and philosophy definitely was a big part of it.

MH:  Which country?

K: Gabon.

MH: Cool.  So name the trickiest woman you ever faced in a roda?

[DEEPA AND KATIE LAUGH]

F:  Contramestre Alcione.

D: I don't know that's hard.

K:  I know!

F:  [AT DEEPA] Think about all of the women that you know.  Which one gave you the hard time?

MH:  Is this pride, like I don't want to give in and say?

D: No!

K: [LAUGHS]

D: Contramestre Gege comes to mind because she is the one that I have had the most contact with.  It has been a long time since I have traveled so I can't remember.

K:  From Nzinga Grupo there's two Mestras Janja and Paulinha and they are always very tricky and beautiful not necessarily through power but trickiness, that always stands out.  Then we have this one [MOTIONING TOWARDS FELICIA] she is definitely one of the trickiest. I think.

D: Yeah she is.

F: I'm slow.

MH: Have you ever been involved in an all female roda, or does that not happen?

D: She's been wanting that for a long time.

K:  She has her views about that.

F:  Our group has [PAUSE] our group about ten years ago, our mestre was instrumental in pushing women to the forefront in capoeira.  They created a pattern of always celebrating "International Women's Day" in capoeira.  They would have conferences, the full instrument ensemble and the first few games were all women. But I have never been where the whole roda was just women unless it was accidental.  One interesting thing with our group in D.C. is that the women are the most consistent people in the group.  A lot of times when we train there are more women than men and on many occasions there are only women in the classroom. I don't know why that is.

MH:  Is that answer the same for all of you?

D & K: Yeah

D: She's our fearless leader.

MH:  You're not being held back from saying what you feel out of deference are you?

K: [LAUGHS] No.

D: She'll kick our ass!

MH: So tell me about your life pre-capoeira and how it has changed because of it.

F:  Pretty much since I started capoeira it has been the central structure in my life.

MH:  It's a lifestyle changing thing.

F:  I think it is if you consistently practice. If you practice every week it does change your lifestyle. For me within the first two years I started assisting my mestre as he was teaching children's programs and it was so much fun and I enjoyed it. It was what I was doing as daily activity working with kids then in the evening I would do capoeira. So it has consumed the majority of what I do.

D: Soccer was such a big part of my life and was my whole identity and I had an injury and couldn't play anymore and I think I had this serious void in my life for that in between period. In retrospect it feels like it was meant to happen. That is how I found capoeira.  I can account for where I am today because of decisions I've made whether its geography cities I've chosen to live because of capoeira, certainly friendships, even the work I do right now, there is a lot that capoeira taught me.  Even in the search for my own identity.

K: I think capoeira brought balance to my life.  We all have school and work and know people but that community, the relationships especially with women.  The strongest women I know are in capoeira.  All of us are drawn to the other cultures that we encounter and in capoeira it is encouraged. It's this amazing growth that you see in other people too not just yourself. A lot of us travel for work and we go to Mozambique and to Europe and there are capoeira groups, and you meet more people and you have this connection.

MH: You guys are very introspective and deep. I am learning much here.   Are there politics in capoeira?

F: Yes.

K & D: [LAUGHING]

F: There are.  It is unavoidable, in any group  or organization there's politics and ours is such that the way our mestre has organized our organization is that it is a sorta democracy.  Democracy breeds debate and when you share power with people you have to argue before you come to a consensus.

MH:  Power being the funds or the time spent?

F: For our group it is about vision and how you are going to manifest that vision that has been laid out.

MH: Anyone else want to comment on the politics in F.I.C.A. DC?

K & D:  No [LAUGHING]

MH: So are all of the women friends?

K & D: [NODDING WITH GENUINE SMILES]

F:  I would say so. Some have stronger connections with each other but that's normal.

D: The thing with capoeira is that energy is felt by everybody, especially since we're sweating together, we're spending a lot of time together, you know the nature of what we're doing.  Every random person that you meet [PAUSE] it's not like you'd embrace them but at the same time there is the balance of the collective and the individual. You have an obligation to keep the family tight and together.

MH: Smells. Some people...

D: [LAUGHS] Oh my goodness!

MH:  smell a certain way when they sweat.

D: [LAUGHING] This is hilarious.

MH: And you guys are very close, up under each other.  You got your arms outstretched under arms exposed.  Your legs up in the air and a strangers head all up under you...

K & D: [LAUGHING] 

MH: Tell me about these close contacts with some people you may have never met before, or even the people you may know who have a particular smell?

D: Or leave a puddle.

MH, K, & D: [LAUGH]

F:  [CRACKS A SMILE] I think every capoeirista learns in the first year and has had a very stinky shirt because when you do capoeira you get drenched. You take this ugly colored yellow shirt and after capoeira you put it in your bag and you go home and you forget about it.

D: [LAUGHING]

F:  A day or two days later you wash it. It smells okay when it comes out of the wash. When you go to train and that little bit of sweat goes into it, all of a sudden its like WOW! Most capoeiristas figure it out, not to ball it up and put it inside of your bag and leaving it like that.  Most of us have an understanding and recognize when a new guy comes with the stinky shirt and they're like, "haha you're gonna figure this one out."  Besides the moldy stinky shirt, by the way the shirt's expensive so you're not gonna keep buying shirts.  We all learn the hard way and have had experience with that stinky shirt which makes us, what's the word amenable...

D: Sensitive.

F: Sympathetic to this problem. Though one mestre, Valmir, he will tell you, you stink. 

D:  You get to know people's scent really intimately.  You can walk in and tell, so and so is in class today. Some people have very strong ones.

K: One of the scarier parts is at some point in the class everything like blends and then you leave the room and come back and its like BAH! [HANDS PULLING AIR TO HER FACE, LAUGHING]

D: [LAUGHS] Yeah we experience this.

K: You get used to it.

MH: Two more questions dating and discipline.  I know you guys have to get to class.  Dating.  How does it work?  There are a lot of attractive, fit, interesting, single people in the class from all aspects of society - straight, LGBT. Is it frowned upon or is it cool?  Would dating and breakups cause people to leave the class and thus be frowned upon?

F:  No it is not frowned upon.  There are lots of capoeiristas who get together are married, live happily and open groups together.  Love is blind it doesn't really matter. As for sexual orientation it's never been an issue.  We've had people of all different orientations.

D: I don't think it's frowned upon if you are dating someone it comes back to the energy you bring in. It's your responsibility, if things are off in the relationship to not bring that into the space. We've all seen the sides of that coin.

K:  It's pretty common but right, it's all out there. Nothing is secret, there are no boundaries. It's so emotional and you see peoples' interactions.

MH:  Okay.  Disicpline.  How does it manifest itself?

F:  Everyone has their own way.  The first way that I saw was Mestre Cobra Mansa. He started his group as a mestre so there was a big difference between him and his students and he was also older than the majority of his students which made a difference. When our mestre left it became difficult because our leaders were our brothers and sisters. Our mestre's tactics were great. They were very subtle techniques that he used. He was not the kind of person that would praise you a lot, he always was gonna tell you what you did wrong. The way he got you to do things was to give you privileges when you did what you were supposed to do. The privilege to have the key to the space so that you could train when you wanted to.  Or choosing you to teach the class because you would come and clean up the space. He would call you the "older student" and everyone wanted to get to this position.  You wouldn't get to this position without doing a lot of work.

D: Because of our personal relationships it is very challenging and I have seen it play out in different ways.

K:  It is self discipline at this point. [LAUGHS] We say if we are going to be late.  We know you will be let into the class but it is about being respectful.  In general we know and respect that stuff but it's not too hardcore.

MH:  Anything you want to address or advocate for in conclusion.

D:  We had a member of our group who has come back from teaching the youth in Palestine.  In refugee camps.  He brought back a lot of energy on some of the issues there. We as a group are not officially sponsoring but we are bringing awareness to the genocide that is happening.  We are becoming more involved with movements of resistance.  The one at the forefront of my mind is Gaza.

MH: Anyone else?

K: Deepa hit it right on the nail.

MH:  Thanks you guys.

http://www.ficadc.org/

Editors note : Look for Capoeira in your city.  The discussion here was based on Capoeira Angola.  Mestre means master. Roda pronounced "Hoda" is the game played between two people.

Malandra: Female trickster.