I was researching Cambodian martial arts to prepare an upcoming non-player character in my Vampire: The Masquerade chronicle who learned to fight in Cambodia, when I found this clip from the History Channel's Human Weapon program.

Click to view

I was particularly interested in the cup jaarn roundhouse kick at about 7:00 in the clip; the Americans must practice ( Read more... )

Here is a technique-by-technique breakdown of the Aang vs Katara capoeira game in Avatar 3.02, "The Headband":
• Aang and Katara circle-walk (actually a drill from nèijiā boxing).
• The circle-walk ceases; a game of jogo de fora begins.
• Aang throws martelo; Katara evades with esquiva.
• Aang and Katara perform chamada.
• Katara throws rabo-de-arraia; ( Read more... )

A few things I noticed:
• Between 3.01 and 3.02, Zuko apparently became a player on the White Wolf unmoderated chats. The dark cloak. The violent outbursts. The making out with the depressing goth chick. The angst! The unbridled angst! Also, note the Salubri antitribu at the end of the episode … and Iroh's single tear, as if to say, "We haven't ( Read more... )

( capoeira )

( Dancedancedance! )

I was all set for Alô Brasil to be a letdown. At 2045 hrs when I swept into Upper Tarble, it was hovering around 40ºF outside and the dark hall was full of unfamiliar faces. They were supposed to go up at 2030 hrs but at the time all I heard was sound check and recordings. I spent a little while combing the crowds (they skirted walls and seating ( Read more... )

Completely independent of my influence, the Afro-Latin Week committee hired Chicago, one of Mestre João Grande's best American students, to teach a Capoeira Angola workshop last night. I managed to press gang davidrosen, appending_doom, and a couple of players from the weekly Capoeira club into going. It felt really good to get into my Angola "uniform" (or what passes for ( Read more... )

Yeah, I know, right? And I even dropped one of those little "In which"es. Cats on my friends page keep using them, so they must be cool.

Last night, 2030 hrs: ZION I, J-LIVE, and BLACKALICIOUS live in concert at Lang Performing Arts Center, Swarthmore College. It's a decent venue, mostly seated, but there was a dance floor up in front by the stage ( Read more... )

( Mestre João Grande has a new nickname for me. )