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06:50, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

A trip to London.

Posted by LondonerFor group 0
Londoner
Sat 9 Jul 2022
at 20:43
  • msg #1

A trip to London

Together, Ann, Lady Elissa, and Julie make their way to London where they will learn more about Angolan Capoeira by attending a concert to be held in Tottenham, only a trainride away.
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 386 posts
Sun 10 Jul 2022
at 11:17
  • msg #2

A trip to London

"I've only been to the center of London before" Elissa said as they looked out of the windows on the train "I think the only thing I know about Tottenham is that it has a football club. Oh... and it's a bit rough. Two main gangs I think. The 'Frontliners' who just rebranded into the 'Tottenham Boys' and the Broadwater Farm Posse" Elissa clearly knew a lot more about 'the whos who of gangs' than she did about general geography "They are both bad news. But they aren't fighting each other at the moment, so we should be good. You know I heard a rumour that the Tottenham boys are rumoured to use magic. But we know that's riddiculous right?"
Ticket Officer
Sun 10 Jul 2022
at 14:21
  • msg #3

A trip to London

Fortunately the train stops at Tottenham Hale before it reaches Liverpool Street and when they ask the man who checks their tickets, the Capoeira display/concert is taking place in Down Park.  He gives simple directions "Out of the station, across the car park, through the bus stands, across the road and down Ashley Road.  You can't miss it."

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...5915825!4d-0.0621596
Ann Winters
Schoolgirl Slayer, 224 posts
Sun 10 Jul 2022
at 16:39
  • msg #4

A trip to London

Ann got out of the train, happy to be away from the smell of stale tobacco.

"If this is The Age of the Train then I'm looking forward to whichever age is coming next. And I don't think we need worry about a couple of gangs anymore. Not given who we are. So I guess it's this way, given when the conductor said. I don't know London either, unless you're going to count a school trip to the Natural History Museum when I was eight."

"Julie, do you know London at all?"
Alcuin
GM, 307 posts
The Director
The Storyteller
Sun 10 Jul 2022
at 18:04
  • msg #5

A trip to London

PM
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 388 posts
Tue 19 Jul 2022
at 19:51
  • msg #6

A trip to London

As Julie was being quiet, Elissa answered for herself

"The bit of London I know is ... well .. two bits. Camden and Westminster. And the route between them. Camden market is... you have to go there to beleive it. And I used to go to Westminster when I was a kid with my dad sometimes."

"Here... no idea. Just what I've heard. And what I've heard is 'just be a bit careful but you'll probably be alright. Especially us being us"

Alcuin
GM, 311 posts
The Director
The Storyteller
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 11:54
  • msg #7

A trip to London

It's a short distance from Tottenham Hale station to Down Park.  Ashley Road is a run down industrial estate that has seen better days, probably when Prince Albert was still alive.  The women can hear the sound of music ahead.  It's not what Elissa would usually expect from a Capoeira display.  It's like a mashup between Samba, Burundi Beat and Rock n Roll.
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 389 posts
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 13:26
  • msg #8

A trip to London

"Well that's new" Elissa said obviously listening to the music. "I like it. Someone has an idea and is running with it. Good for them. I wonder what it's like to 'play' to." her use of the word play obviously meant 'to get into the Roda'. "Come on Ann... lets see what this is like. I was expecting a club but we have a stage. Maybe it's cool, maybe not... we'll see."
Joao Ferreira-Santos
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 14:22
  • msg #9

A trip to London

"Bom dia Senhoras", said the lithe, sleek, dark skinned African man checking tickets.  "Are you here for the music or the roda?"

He gives directions depending on the answers. The field is about 15 acres with a tarmac path running diagonally through the middle of it.  Along the southern edge, there is a row of shade, providing shade. There is a stage set up in the middle of the Southwestern half of the park while to the North East, several enclosures have been roped off to mark the borders between rodas (there are seven of them) and audience.

The afternoon is young.
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 390 posts
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 14:45
  • msg #10

A trip to London

"Can we say both?" Elissa said with a laugh. "But mainly the Roda. We'd like to play if it isn't too rough. Are we playing Angola, Regional or a bit of both?" she cocked her head to listen to the music "Or like the music are we inventing our own?"

"My friends new but I'm a Professor under Contra-Mestre Gordinho. We're taking a look to see if she likes it: we don't have a club in Cambridge at the moment"

Joao Ferreira-Santos
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 15:48
  • msg #11

A trip to London

The man nodded.  "There's a changing room in back of the stage.  Tell them Joao sent you.  Did you bring your own costumes or will your friends need to borrow?  Either way they can help you out."
Ann Winters
Schoolgirl Slayer, 227 posts
Wed 20 Jul 2022
at 20:36
  • msg #12

A trip to London

"Costumes? Can't we just wear our normal clothes? You didn't mention costumes, Elissa. Maybe I should have asked more questions."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's go find the changing rooms then." As she spoke, she tried to get a peek at the stages. "It's what we're here for. So Elissa, have you actually taken part on one of those stages in front of all those people?"
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 391 posts
Thu 21 Jul 2022
at 08:29
  • msg #13

A trip to London

"Well I normally call it a uniform. It's just cotton pants and a T shirt. We use a rope instead of a belt. It's not like the Japanese stuff. In Karate or Judo the white belt is the starting belt, in Capoeira it's the 'top rank'. Only maybe ten people in the world have a white rope."

"You can play in your own clothes of course... but you might get sweaty or dirty. So it's not going to hurt to get changed. Playing in your own clothes says 'I am a beginner' so probably they will be more careful with you. Up to you I think. I'd get changed. It's a 'respect' thing. But it's not a big one"

"Oh we need to take shoes off. Even if you are in your normal clothes you should be barefoot"

Ann Winters
Schoolgirl Slayer, 229 posts
Thu 21 Jul 2022
at 19:04
  • msg #14

A trip to London

"OK, I'll wear the uniform. And go barefoot. If a white belt is the best, do we start as black belts?"

As she led the way towards the changing room, she added, "Tell me if I'm doing too well when I take part. I can get carried away when I'm enjoying myself, but I don't want to accidentally do too well. For one night only, I am not the Slayer, but an ordinary girl who isn't super strong or agile. Have you had any problems with that, Elissa? What with you not being a normal human either."
The Hon. Elissa St. Clair
Skint Aristocrat, 392 posts
Thu 21 Jul 2022
at 19:39
  • msg #15

A trip to London

"The ropes depend on the club. Mines Green, Yellow and Blue. Starting colours are usually something like one or two of those colours. Rules vary. If I was you I'd just not wear one. Tell's people you are a beginner and then they'll explain what they are doing. There's some ritualistic bits that they won't do. I don't mean magic...I mean 'a set piece'."

Elissa sighed at the question. "Yeah. So now I don't fight. Not for real. I don't go behind the Apollo on a saturday night.Just after... I ... I don't know what the word is. Just after I got strong... I was dissed by this kid. Fucking idiot. Twice my weight and he wanted to prove he was hard. I could take him with my hands behind my back before I got tough. But... I didn't know how strong I was. I put him in hospital. Nearly killed him. If I hadn't pulled my punch a bit he'd be dead. There were a load of witnesses and he threw the first punch. But that's not the point is it?"

"In the Roda though... it's all non contact, if you want it to be. It probably won't be for me: they'll want to show how tough they are and that their school is better than mine. I'm young to be a Professor so they will want to test me. Probably be friendly: but I'll have to be careful."
Elissa grinned "Wouldn't want it any other way. It's the closest I can get to a good blarney. There's a thing in Capoeria called 'Malifica'. And I love it. There'll be come bruises... but friendly ones. And some of them might be on me... but hey it's like the mosh pit. Glorious"
Ann Winters
Schoolgirl Slayer, 230 posts
Fri 22 Jul 2022
at 19:15
  • msg #16

A trip to London

"OK, I'll go belt-free and try to make no contact. I certainly don't want to put anyone in hospital, so it's good that we're both aware of our strength these days - no chance of accidentally putting someone in the grave."

"And I'm not worried about bruises. I don't bruise easily anymore, which stops me having to explain things to my parents. Even when I do, I recover very quickly

As they reached the changing room, she said, "There's three of us. Two beginners and one professor. Joao said that you'd have costumes for us?"
Alcuin
GM, 312 posts
The Director
The Storyteller
Fri 22 Jul 2022
at 19:31
  • msg #17

A trip to London

The woman behind the counter nods and hands out two uniforms for Julie and Ann.  Each consists of white trousers, red blouse and no belt or a beginners belt (unusually it's red and yellow rather than the colours of the Brazilian flag - perhaps it's from the Angolan flag).

To Elissa she hands something similar but with a black belt.  "This is our second highest grade", she says, "We use the flag of Angola rather than Brasil."
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