Cornwall’s capoeira festival (JingaFest) just gets bigger and better each year. Now in it’s second year, JingaFest Verao (summer) exceeded all expectations, with over 60 attending the festival on the main day, Saturday, June 11.

But this festival, like any good party, wouldn’t have been possible without the presence of everyone involved and the help of some very sepcial people.

So here goes: I’d like to thank the London and Devon crews, led by my good friends Shamil and Pao de Milho, Laurie, for bringing his teachings and great, chilld, energy to the event. I want to thank Cenoura, who cooked for 40 people on Saturday, Tartaruga, who helped to promote and manage the event, Maezinha, who was crucial in making the kids graduation go so smoothly, Sorridente for designing the t-shirts and all my other students for their continued support and energy in recent tough times.

At one point we had around 80 people in that tiny hall in Penryn, including kids and parents, plus older capoeiristas and friends! What a result.

Among my favourite parts were seemlessly moving from the main roda into the free samba dance class without anyone realising what was going on! Then there was Clarao’s leaving roda on the Sunday, which was moving to say the least.

So to all my friends, brothers, sisters and new acquiantances, nunca para de dancar, jogar e vadiar capoeira, que e uma coisa maravilhosa!

Abracos e beijos para todos

Canguru

PS -- here’s a couple of videos from the event:

June 10-12- Penryn, Cornwall

JingaFest is almost upon us! Mark yourself absent from whatever you’re doing and come on down to sing, dance and celebrate Brazilian culture in Cornwall!

Cornwall’s twice-yearly capoeira festival this time features samba dance class; kids graduation ceremony; capoeira Angola workshops, Brazilian meal and lots of good vibes.

Leading the capoeira workshops this time will be Laurie from the Filhes do Angola group (London).

Friday (June 10) 6:30-9:30pm – Welcome, 1st capoeira workshop and roda (Stuart Stephen Hall, 95 West St, Penryn TR10 8EX map)

SaturdayJune 11 (CHANGE OF VENUE: St Gluvias Church Hall, just a stone’s throw from Fri/Sun venue, follow the some street signage from Fri/Sun venue.

• 11am-1pm – 2nd Capoeira workshop
• 1-2pm – Kids graduation event
• 2-5pm – the main roda (public show) will finish with a ‘Samba de roda’ intro by dance leader sarah Hyams.
• 5-6:30pm – Samba de roda & samba reggae dance workshops with Sarah Hyams.
• 6:30-9pm – Brazilian meal cooked by our very own in-house chef Ze Balthazar!

Sunday June 12 (Stuart Stephen Hall map and Gylly beach)

• 12-2pm – 3rd capoeira workshop
• 2-4pm – Roda na praia (Roda on mystery Cornish beach)
• 4pm – onwards Churrasco (BBQ), bring your own food and drinks and let’s finish off the weekend with a lazy barbeque in the sun.

Prices:

• Whole weekend: £35 (£30 before June 10th)  includes 4 workshops, T-shirt, meal (Sat night)
• Saturday: £20 includes 2 workshops, T-shirt and meal
• Individual workshops: £8
• Kids graduation: £5 (includes certificate and Brazilian bracelet)
• T-shirt: £10
• Meal: £5

My name is Craig Blackburn (Canguru). I am a social entrepreneur who uses capoeira as a tool to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in Cornwall, England. In April, 2011 I was invited to a capoeira event in Västerås (Sweden) to talk about my work. The effect of this visit on my professional life was so powerful that I felt compelled to pass on my thoughts. So here we go.

Read this article on social capoeira projects on ’4capoeirathoughts’, click here.

This Summer term we will be running these kids clubs in Falmouth and Helston:

Mondays 5-6pm - Stuart Stephen Memorial Hall, West St, Penryn map

Tuesdays 4-5pm Malborough Primary, Falmouth (KS1&2)

Tuesdays 3:30-4:3opm Parc Eglos Primary, Helston (KS2)

Fridays 3-4pm St Michael’s Primary, Helston (KS1&2)

More info call Craig: 07870 167 974

Prices:

Sundays: £4 per class;

After-school clubs: £30 per term.

Jinga Communities is registered under the Give it a Go scheme and the Children’s University.

FXU Capoeira students saying 'obrigado' to Panda

Jinga Communities has been left baffled but overjoyed after receiving an anonymous gift from a mysterious benefactor.

The FXU Capoeira society (Falmouth & Exeter University Union) has recently received a donation of £300 worth of high quality instruments. The only clue about where they might have come from is an intriguing inscription on each instrument, which simply reads ‘Panda’. Everyone who practises capoeria is traditionally given an ‘apelido’ or nickname and the Cornish group think that ‘Panda’ must be the original owner of the instruments. 

Craig Blackburn, or ‘Canguru’ founded Jinga Communities with the aim of assisting and enriching the lives of Cornish people. He says ‘In capoeira your instruments are very precious as music and rhythm is at the core of everything that you do. The traditional instruments we have been donated – four berimbaus and a pandeiro – are of a fantastic hand-crafted quality and have obviously been well loved and enjoyed by their previous owner. We would love the opportunity to say thank you to ‘Panda’ and to show him or her how we will use the instruments to benefit our community.’

The new instruments will be used in after school clubs, adult classes and in grant funded projects to help disadvantaged young people. Capoeira brings people and communities together to share a positive and uplifting experience, whilst getting healthy and learning something new. Anyone can get involved in capoeira, whatever their age, fitness or ability.

So, if you are the mysterious ‘Panda’, Jinga Communities would love you to get in touch to say ‘Muito Obrigado camarada’ (thank you, friend) for the generous gift!