Road Stories Blog

By Emily Anderson

You may have heard of capoeira referred to as a Brazilian martial art, but it actually bears a striking resemblance to breakdancing. Set to music and practiced in a ring of spectators, opponents “face off” in a mix of choreographed dance steps, tumbling moves, and high kicks.

It is highly entertaining to watch but often raises the question, “Is it a dance or a fighting style?” In short, capoeira is both. This video is slowed down to show the complexity of the movements and the incredible agility and strength required.

By Ken Carlson

“I wouldn’t trade my [you fill in the blank] for all the tea in China.” We’ve probably all heard someone utter this phrase at some point. China is well-known for its rich and diverse history of tea, and Pu-erh Tea—produced primarily in mountainous Yunnan Province—is one of the most celebrated of China’s teas.

Yunnan Province is located in Southwestern China and is home to Shanren, a musical group touring this fall as part of Arts Midwest World Fest.

By Ken Carlson

Pull out a map, and you’ll see that Midland, Michigan is located near the crook of the thumb of the Michigan “mitt.” It’s in the region commonly referred to as the Great Lakes Bay Region, with the cities of Saginaw and Bay City close by.

If you visited Midland in the 1850s, you would have discovered riverbanks lined with Chippewa Indian Wickiups, round huts made of bent saplings and covered with skins and bark. Perhaps you would have come across a Native American hunting or fishing while others worked crops of corn, squash, gourds, and pumpkins.

By Stephen Manuszak

Founded as the seat of Medina County in 1818, the city of Medina was originally named Mecca, after the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Because another Ohio town already had the name Mecca, the name was changed to Medina after another Saudi Arabian city. Most of Medina’s early residents were farmers, but the community grew significantly in the 1830s with the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which was constructed to connect waterways with Lake Erie and carry freight traffic throughout Ohio.