Capoeira Video Review: The Capoeira Workout

Posted by Sorriso on June 19th, 2009 at 11:14pm

First of all, let me just say that I really like this video. Paula Verdino aka Instructor Pimenthina is really fun and vivacious. She has so much energy bubbling up in her, that you instantly want to become her friend.

The Capoeira Workout is a great video for those who are either looking for a quick regional style workout or beginners wanting to freshen up on their skills. It doesn’t get too fancy, so don’t expect any macacos or parafusos here. Instead, The Capoeira Workout lets you practice a variety of kicks and escapes to the sound of Mestre Bimba’s wonderful cd, “Mestre Bimba e a Voz do Berimbau“.

This video definately gives you a view of authentic brazilian capoeira, and even though it is brief, it is also authentic and sincere. It is not just trying to jump on the next fitness trend, or give some watered down version of the real thing.

Instructor Pimenthina has a good game, and shows us some of her skill as she plays against some of her students and performs some solo moves. I wish that there were more clips of her playing in bigger rodas, but that clearly was not the aim of the video.

Rather she focuses on the movements, and gives two workouts to train with. The first workout involves practicing the ginga and performing a kick, and the second one is more advanced, linking more moves together. Her pace is pretty fast, so you might have to utilize your pause button to learn the moves before moving on.

In the end, I only wish that The Capoeira Workout was longer. By the time the video was finished I didn’t want it to end, and I wanted to learn more from Instructor Pimenthina. Hopefully she will be making more videos like this in the future.

Here’s a little bit about Paula’s history:

Paula Verdino, aka Instrutora Pimentinha was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She began training as a capoeirista under professor Sabia, the world-renowned capoeira teacher and practitioner of the GINGA MUNDO capoeira group.

Paula Verdino fell in love with the martial art and dedicated herself to capoeira, full time. She achieved the rank of “Graduada,” allowing her to teach, and participated in many projects in Brazil working with underprivileged children and adults while teaching capoeira in public and private schools.

Paula Verdino won “Best Female Overall” at the World Capoeira Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and competing again one year later won “Best In Rank” among all male and female competitors.

After being brought to a capoeira event in New York as a special guest, Paula was quickly offered the opportunity to open her own classes in the city. Today Paula has received the Instructor rank and teaches regularly in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island, and also travels widely, leading workshops and capoeira events across the US, as well as in France, Sweden, Portugal, and elsewhere.

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