Batizado 2007 at 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)

1º Batizado de Grupo Bantus Capoeira Japão

Batizado Poster

The team at Grupo Bantus Capoeira Japão is madly working away behind the scenes putting the finishing touches on the festival preparations.

Things are looking good, our Brazilian guests are packing their suitcases and bringing some extra axé and a little bit of dendê (I hope it clears customs). The energy is going to be intense, and GBCJ is going to be transported to Brazil for one week of workshops, rodas, show and the batizado. The impossible will be possible, the unimaginable will come true, and the magical transformational powers of capoeira will be working overtime on the people of Tokyo. Mandinga!

This is not going to be any ordinary week. This is going to be a life changing experience. So please don’t miss a minute of it. Tell your boss you’re sick for the week, or even better yet, invite your boss too! Bring your mum and dad, bring your brother and sister , tell all your friends and neighbours. I know some of you already have! THANK YOU.

So what is the batizado? Keep reading.

Date: Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Time: 12pm-4.30pm. Batizado, Open Roda, and Outdoor Party. After party in Kichijoji starts at 6pm

Location: Tachikawa Showa Kinen Koen, Mina no Harappa/Open Field. Access, Area Guide, Download the park map

Cost: GBCJ Members: 10,000yen includes batizado cord and t-shirt. Non-members: 3000yen for batizado t-shirt. Open Roda is free

Dress: GBCJ Members: White Bantus Capoeira pants and white/colour cord and batizado t-shirt. Non-members: White t-shirt and capoeira pants of your group

Park entrance fee: Adults: 400. Kids: 80yen

What is a Batizado?

The capoeira initiation ceremony.

A batizado (pronounced “ba-chi-za-doh”) is an initiation and grading ceremony where capoeira students receive their first capoeira cord. The students wear their cord around their waist through the belt loops of their pants. The cords are hand made with wool of various colours. The first cord is made from the colours red, black, and white. The 2nd to 11th (final) cords are made from the colours of the Brazilian flag, blue, green, yellow, and white. As a capoeira student progresses and improves in the art of capoeira, they change their cords at the batizado ceremony in another capoeira tradition known as the troca de corda, or change of cords. To reach the master level (mestre de capoeira) the student needs to dedicate their life to capoeira and can take up to 30 years of training.

The batizado and troca de cordas must be supervised by the mestre of the group, in our case, Mestre Pintor, and the group’s highest ranking instructors and happens only once a year.

The Festival Flyer