Bantus Capoeira Japan/ バントゥス カポエイラ ジャパン (Kichijoji/Mitaka, Tokyo/吉祥寺・三鷹・東京)

2006 Wrap-up

2006 was an amazing year for Bantus Capoeira Japão! We were invited to perform at so many different events and were able to promote capoeira to thousands of people around Tokyo and even more in Japan and around the world through our TV, radio and Internet appearances. Student numbers increased by an incredible amount starting from April when we started classes at Event Hall Musashino in Kichijoji. But the highlight of the year for 7 of us was the first Bantus Japão Brazil trip, Festival Mundial, and Batizado in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

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Here’s a rundown of the events that we were involved in, hosted, or were invited to in 2006:

1. Shinnenkai (New Year Party), Kichijoji: January 8th.
2. Filhos Da Terra Open Roda, Ikebukuro: January 29th.
3. March in March (National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu), Shinjuku: March 5th.
4. Annual General Meeting, Mitaka: March 5th.
5. Roda in Space, Kichijoji: March 19th.
6. Online Capoeira Shop Opens: April.
7. First Saturday Class at Event Hall Musashino, Kichijoji: April 1st.
8. Hanami Party, Inokashira Park: April 9th.
9. Roda in Space, Kichijoji: April 16th.
10. World No Tobacco Day Free Capoeira Workshop, Inokashira Park: May 28th.
11. Martial Arts in Japan documentary video shoot, Mitaka: June 11th.
12. Nudist Beach Party, Roppongi: June 17th.
13. Channelnewsasia video shoot, Mitaka: July 2nd.
14. Grupo Tempo Batizado, Shinjuku: July 16th.
15. Roda do Parque, Tachikawa Showa Kinen Koen: July 30th.
16. Roda da Praia, Yuigahama Beach, Kamakura: August 6th.
17. Juice TV Plus Japan video shoot, Mitaka: August 13th.
18. Boa Viagem Party, Kichijoji: August 13th.
19. Festival Mundial Bantus Capoeira and Batizado, Belo Horizonte, Brazil: August 21st - 27th.
20. Mishop World Festival, Mitaka: September 24th.
21. Mitaka Sports Festival, Mitaka: October 9th.
22. Nudist Beach, Roppongi: October 21st.
23. CasTY Japanese Internet TV Appearance: October 27th.
24. New Blog Design launched: November 6th.
25. Metropolis Magazine Metpod interview: November 7th.
26. Metropolis Magazine Q+A interview: November 10th.
27. Soshigaya Art Festival, Seijo-Gakuenmae: November 12th.
28. Bem Brasil, Azabu Juban: November 12th.
29. B’Day Beats, Ogikubo: November 14th.
30. New Half-Year Membership and Class Credits System introduced: November 16th.
31. Nijino Kai Festival, Mitaka: November 18th.
32. Musashino FM Culture Festival, Kichijoji: November 26th.
33. 2nd Anniversary and Bonenkai Party, Kichijoji: November 26th.
34. Fitness Japan ezine article: November 26th.
35. 1st First Sunday of the Month Capoeira Shop, Free Training and Open Roda, Mitaka: December 3rd.
36. 1st First Tuesday of the Month Capoeira Angola Class, Mitaka: December 5th.
37. Nagoas Batizado, Shizuoka: December 10th.
38. Open Roda de Rua, MOA 4th Street, Shinjuku: December 17th.
39. Bantus Capoeira Japao General Meeting, Mitaka: December 17th
40. Bantus Capoeira Japão Christmas Party, Harajuku: December 25th
41. Bantus Capoeira Japão New Years Eve Party, Shinjuku: December 31st

In 2006 we also attended numerous Brazilian parties, festivals, and events in Tokyo as a group. We organized a huge donation of 2nd-hand clothes to give to the favelas in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Capoeira touched the lives of over 140 new students from Japan, Australia, America, Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, and Taiwan, who took at least one of of our classes in Kichijoji, Inokashira, or Mitaka in 2006. We had several guest visitors from Bantus Australia and Singapore.

We couldn’t attend all the batizados, capoeira festivals, and open rodas we were invited to but we tried our best to balance inter-group interaction and our own classes and events. In 2006 Grupo Bantus Capoeira Japão was invited to batizados and capoeira events hosted in the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan, as well as events in Malayisa, Singapore, Australia, Hawaii, Taiwan, Spain, and Brazil!

We launched our higly successful mixi community and orkut community, and we launched our online capoeira apparel and stationery shop that has already received orders from all over the world. Not forgetting our YouTube.com and Flickr sites.

Congratulations to all the GBC Japão students that worked so hard promoting capoeira in 2006! Thanks to the those that helped translating documents, attending workshops, shows, parties and events. A special thanks to our guest instructors, and to those students that have to travel over an hour to get to class every week.

We should all be proud of what we accomplished last year, but that’s only the tip of the Bantus Capoeira iceberg. We’ve got a long way to go, lots to learn, and many exciting events coming up.

Stay tuned for a rundown of the upcoming events planned for 2007.

2007 is going to be even bigger, better, and busier than 2006!