In terms of martial arts, when one thinks of Brazil, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) comes to mind (“Jiu-Jitsu” is an old western spelling/pronunciation for what is known in Japan as Judo). An influential figure in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from its early beginnings is Mitsuyo Maeda, a judōka (Judo expert) and a prizefighter in no holds barred competitions that traveled the world performing Judo demonstrations and fighting in various competitions. Maeda broke with Judo traditionalists, preferring combat sparing to cookie cutter kata forms, and he fought for …
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If you’re still fiending for another documentary on Brazilian music check out Tropicália (2012), an in depth and intimate look at the Tropicália (aka Tropicalismo) movement of music, arts, poetry, theatre and film culture from the late 1960s. The Tropicália movement practice “cultural cannibalism,” a post-modern, remix approach to music, arts, poetry, theatre and film, taking from indigenous Afro-Brazilian music and culture, and mixing them with western styles, and the avant-garde. Tropicália artists played around with being on the fringe, but were not averse to being …
When you think of Brazilian music; Samba, and Bossa Nova may come to mind, but there are other sounds like candomblé, capoeira music, choro, MPB (Música popular brasileira), music of the Tropicalia movement, rock, psychedelic, funk, Afro-Reggae, mangue bit or beat, Brazilian Hip-Hop, Baile funk/Funk carioca, and axé to name a few from the plethora of genres that exist in Brazil. There, people take sports (Football) and music with equal levels of seriousness and passion. You can learn a lot about a country’s history …
Three years before the Stonewall Riots in New York City (1969) there was the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot (1966) in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, which is just one among many pre-stonewall actions [New Republic] [NewNowNext]. The transgender and queer community of the Tenderloin took a collective stand for their civil rights. Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria (2005) is a documentary by Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman which sought to uncover the stories of what went down at the riot, …
Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead – A Miles Davis Biopic – Indiegogo campaign videos – Don Cheadle’s directorial debut is going to be a Miles Davis biopic called Miles Ahead. This is a project Don’s been thinking about doing for a number of years, and now he’s trying to crowd fund money to help this project see the light of day, and release this movie independently. Taking an idea Don’s had for years and turning it into a reality, a film about one …
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