My 44th birthday prequel started on Saturday with the Brazilian Day Austin celebration. I’d never been to the venue before, but knew I was in for a treat when my fellow capoeiristas mentioned “outside” and “barn.”
Despite the tiny, well-lit stage, we played in the small loose gravel-covered ground, which gave our performance both an authentic feel and raised the element of danger and surprise to the endeavor.
We started with “Puxada de Rede,” which was a fisherman’s dance.
This was the first time I’d ever danced it–I’d only been part of the chorus in previous performances.
Given the recovery of my ankle after breaking it a year ago, I freaked out a little since this time last year, I was on crutches.
Even with the less-than-ideal ground, I enjoyed the simple joy of being ambulatory.
Good thing my spirits were so high; we messed up the choreography, but apparently only we knew that!
I missed most of the roda de Angola since some genius rearranged all our stuff and I couldn’t find my regular capoeira shirt.
Thank goodness I’d handed off my camera phone to another capoeirista who was not performing that night.
She took over 100 pictures! Not that I’m complaining. I know that it’s challenging to catch a clear shot of capoeiristas playing even a slow game of Angola-style capoeira.
If I had been previously irritated with not finding my T-shirt in a timely fashion, I was doubly pissed that I couldn’t find the grass skirt I’d picked out for maculele.
We did mostly the same choreography we’d done back in May for the batizado.
The only thing this time was at all three rehearsals, we’d had a different combination of people participating.
The only thing this time was at all three rehearsals, we’d had a different combination of people participating.
That ill-fitting grass skirt fell after a couple of moves. I just kept dancing like the semi-pro I am!
For the last dress change for me, I could relax since I’d completed my part of the performance other than continuing to clap, sing and relieve someone on the pandeiro (tambourine).
I was quite impressed at how fast my fellow capoeiristas played regional-style capoeira. After our performance, I got a yummy jalapeño drink, danced samba and forro, then left–all before 11 PM.
Originally, I didn’t think I’d have too much fun on my actual birthday since it fell on a Sunday. I wore my tiara the entire day to liven things up a bit. Although I merely posed with the tiara before yoga class, I learned after the fact how bad this idea was. As I removed it, my rambunctious dreads latched onto and would not surrender until a friend who worked at the studio cut it out. She was very empathic about the minor surgery.
Then, I met a friend for brunch.
With my hair up and the tiara merely placed on my head, I suffered no more hair loss nor wardrobe malfunction.
I hardly ever imbibe fizzy drinks, but I figured a mimosa once a year or so wouldn’t hurt. I’d never ordered this dish before, Sonora enchilada, but it was a wonderful call together with one of my favorite hot sauces.
Later that evening, I went to an open mic, where I knew several of my poetry friends would be. To my birthday surprise, I saw one of my salsa friends from years ago who just happen to come out to listen to poetry.
When I finally got my turn to the mic, I was tired, but figured since I’d made the effort, I’d do my best.
I opened with a joke about my dress: “My mom gave me this dress since it’s my birthday. One guy told me that it looked like a table cloth. I told him that he’d not be eating off me tonight!”
Then I made a shameless plug for my book, Tribe of One.
I read an excerpt from the book that dealt with the main character’s extensive search for the perfect vibrator.
At the end of my set, I received a piece of a very rich chocolate and coconut cake.
Believe it or not, I’d had a little trouble blowing out that third candle. I thought it was a trick candle, but turns out I was just out of practice blowing out birthday candles. Then again, since I’m the upstart third daughter, perhaps it was appropriate.
I dove into that delicious cake! I had to put the fork down just to take a picture of it.
My three poet friends graced the stage with their creative collaboration.
The featured poet that night happened to be another sexually-explicit black woman who had been outside selling and signing her poetry book during my reading.
After my set and birthday song, she ran in to tell me that she really enjoyed my reading. We exchanged books at the end of the night.