tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9089158848261329413.post-24247935280962990952008-03-12T08:33:00.000-07:002008-03-12T09:08:09.783-07:00The group reflected on four elements of mandinga that Mestre Paulinha had presented the day before. They are:<br /><br />attitude<br /><br />improvisation<br /><br />deception<br /><br />interruption<br /><br />The group tried to come up with some distinguishing characteristics of malicia vs. mandinga. They proposed that malicia relates to your "street smarts" and trickery both within and without capoeira. They considered mandinga to relate to something more abstract, an energy transmitted, something magical, spiritual, and related to an individual's personality.<br /><br />They thought about differences in cultures as well as gender. They considered how certain words have different meanings in Portuguese and English, and how these different meanings reflect on cultural differences. They also discussed the idea of jogo de cintura and how it is something one can easily understand if you are Brazilian, but perhaps more difficult to understand if you are American.<br /><br />Can you usa mandinga and still be honest? American's want to be direct, to the point, etc. --the group asked itself. Mandinga is a survival tool in Brazil, and plays itself out in the roda. This led to a discussion on mandinga in America, and the fact that many people need to improvise and use non-traditional means to get what they want, and even to simply survive.<br /><br />Contramestre Cristina from Rio de Janeiro talked about her experience in the roda, and how in some rodas she had to negotiate and conquer a place for herself, in a different way than men did.I CAME HERE TO PLAYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08952514847693311418noreply@blogger.com