the greatest compliment… ever.

wow. it took me two whole days to realize it, but i have been given the greatest compliment a capoeirista can be given. the mestre (master) of my capoeira school, sabiá, called me a mandingueira…

…hang on.

it needs to sink in. you see, you can be an amazing capoeirista but not have mandinga, which is what makes you amazing amazing and also fun to watch. mandinga is like a spell that you can put on your opponent to make them easy to trick, and i am a mandingueira. ha. wow.

i think i know why he called me that: i had never played capoeira angola until about three weeks ago, but sabiá made me go in against him anyway. i was nervous and everyone must have known it. i don’t know how to describe the game to you, but sabiá tricked me pretty good and i got him back for every time! the game was fun and funny and exciting and surprising- everything it should have been. when it was over, i went to sit down and one of the best angola players of our class told me that i did really well!

but yes, i have been called a mandingueira by the mestre of my school. perhaps the greatest honor a capoeirist can be given.