Ignite Kids (5-10) & ignite Teens (11-17)
Welcome and Check-in
We will always greet each students with a warm smile, and gather together seated before beginning our class. The instructor may make any announcements, and also provide students with some questions, discussion, or comments about our Aligned Life topic for the month.
(~ 3 minutes)
Warm-ups
We warm up in capoeira to prepare our bodies for the dynamic movements of the game. Warm-ups also help us to connect our minds to our movements. Warm-ups may vary based on age grouping, but can include jumping jacks, crab walks, bear walks, arm swings, inch-worm crawls, auzinhos (little cartwheels), leg swings or circles. All warm-ups are gentle and no one is expected to know any of these before attending. Often we incorporate music or rhythm from a pandeiro or berimbau (two capoeira instruments) into our warm-ups.
(~ 5 minutes)
Technique Focus and Application
When introducing new techniques, we first follow an instructional model meant to specifically support students in our virtual format ("I Do, We Do, You Do"). This provides multiple opportunities for practice, question and answers, and builds muscle memory and confidence.
- First, the instructor will model a technique ("I Do").
- Second, students will do the technique together with the instructor- they will be able to view the instructor performing the technique along with them from multiple angles and have multiple opportunities to practice the technique together with the instructor ("We Do").
- Third, students will practice the new technique or movement without the scaffold of the instructor doing it along with them ("You Do").
We will also practice using these new techniques, where the students may apply them in movement with the instructor or paired up with another student on screen.
(~ 10 minutes)
Game or Roda
Every class includes a Game or Roda (pronounced "Hoh-dah"). Games may revolve around focus, memory, responding to rhythm or music cues, or conditioning. A roda is a capoeira circle (virtually, we imagine that circle), where we play music and students practice their capoeira creatively with one another in a "dialogue" or capoeira, or they can showcase themselves in a solo. We only practice a roda when students are comfortable with basic foundational movements and fel comfortable connecting them together.
(~ 10 minutes)
Closing
We close every class with the words "Axé! Ignite Capoeira!" Ending a capoeira class with the word "axé" ("ah-shay") is a traditional way to close a class. Axé is the vibration of life-force, postive energy, or spirit that exists within ourselves and between each-other. Its the igniting of that inner spark, of feeling your passion for something, of feeling aligned... of seeing the best in yourself and allowing yourself to see the best in others.
We will also leave a few minutes for optional stretching together after this, during which students are free to chat and share (instructor will guide).
(~ 2 minutes- longer for optional stretch time)