C a p o e i r a

Armada Dupla

Au Sem MaoC a p o e i r a

Capoeira is a Brazilin Fighting style that was developed by slaves brought from Africa to Brazil in the seventeenth century. Africans slaves that developed the Fighting style by using elements of the many different African tribes that were enslaved in the region created it in Brazil. The descended mixing of African

Hi

TOR Ymartial arts was mixed with music as well as

dance to provide a camouflage for the intent of its fighting purposes. Each of the elements, being martial arts, music, and dance, play an equal part in this cultural performance. There are many interpretations to emphasize each element of the Capoeira style as the main focus of this art. All of these interpretations are valid and well respected in their own rights in celebrating this culturally artistic style. Throughout it’s history it has been predominantly seen as fighting and dance style that shows the cultural heritage of Brazil. Even as a mixed African style, Brazilians believe that Capoeira cannot have existed without Africans but it’s birthplace will always be Brazil. In the 1800’s it was seen a practice that could be used as rebellion and a leftover cultural practice of slaves which led to several arrests for all people practicing it. In 1890 it was officially banned by Brazilian president Deodoro da Fonseca who signed an act that prohibited the practice of Capoeira nationwide with severe punishments for all those caught practicing it. Nevertheless it was practiced by much of the poorer population on many occasions that involved free time. In the 1930’s the official banned ended due to the efforts of man of the citizens who convinced authorities

that there was cultural value of Capoeira, the pioneer of this movement being Manuel dos Reis Machado who founded the first Capoeira school in Brazil in 1932. He is considered by many as the father of modern Capoeira”, and his school is still open today in Salvador called Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola. The school consisted of several Capoeira masters who possessed their own unique styles, such as Capoeira Angola. Upon Machado’s death the school was passed death in 1942 the school was passed down to Vincente Ferreira Pastinha, who wrote endlessly on the sport which are used to teach modern Capoeira today. Regional is the more common form of Capoeira, it is practiced much more widely in Brazil then any other style of Capoeira and it’s often what Brazilians refer to when they speak of Capoeira. Capoeira Regional was developed by Reis Machado to make capoeira more effective and bring it closer to its fighting origins, and less associated with the criminal elements of Brazil. The Capoeira Regional style is often considered to consist of faster and more athletic play than the lesser-known Capoeira angola. Capoeira angola is considered to be the more ancient form of capoeira and is often characterized by deeply held traditions, slower movements and with the players playing their games in closer proximity to each other than in regional or contemporary.

In Capoeira, participants for a circle known as a roda, and take turns either playing musical instruments, singing, or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The pair creates a dance using Capoeira movements in which the partners, or players, use the music to guide them through sparring without touching each other. This ritual of calling in participants to the circle for sparring is known as chamada, and is considered a life lesson for communicating that the approach is a dangerous situation, which is applicable for many things in life. Fluid acrobatic play, feints, takedowns, leg sweeps, kicks, and headbutts are the trademark the movements of

Capoeira. The sport does not focus on injuring the opponent but emphasizes skill of each Capoeirista. To show superiority in the roda, players prefer to show the movements without completing them even though it could be used to harm their combatant. If an opponent cannot dodge and attack then there is no reason to use faster techniques, this gives players a chance to practice evasive techniques. The stance used to fight is called Ginga, which means rocking back and forth or to swing. Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional have distinctive forms of ginga, but both share the qualities of movement by maintaining both feet at shoulder with apart from each other, coordination of the arms, legs and torso, as well as the leaning of the body. This stance works to help prevent the body from being kicked, engaging the core muscles of a Capoeirista to fit their style, as well as evasion mixed with opportunity to show attacks. Defensively the style consists of many evasive rolls that create a base position to attack, it is the combination of fluidity and choreography that truly shows the Caporeiristas experience and degree of ability. Combinations of both attacks in defense are widely used among players with a large amount of experience that become varied in creativity depending on the style of a player. The overall movements

of Capoeira should match the rhythm being played by the bateria, otherwise known the Capoeira musicians. In this movement, music is an extremely integral part. It sets the tempo and style of the game played within the roda, which is performed with vocals and instruments such as the Ngoma drums. The tempos differ from very slow, Angola, to very fast, Sao Bento Regional, and the songs are usually performed in a call and response format as well as others performed as a narrative. Some songs are about history, stories of other capoeiristas, life, love lost, or about what’s going on within the roda. Capoeiristas change their playing style significantly as the songs or rhythm commands them, in a manner it is the music is the thing that truly drives Capoeira. The bateria create a rhythmic pattern with their string percussion instruments, other instruments include tambourines, rasp, bells, and a conga like drum known as the atabaque. Most musical formations of the basteria can be formed purely on the percussive instruments that exclude the drums, which is considered optional. There are three basic kinds of songs in capoeira. A ladainha is a narrative solo usually sung at the beginning of a roda, often by the mestre. These ladainhas will often be famous songs previously written by a mestre, or they may be

improvised on the spot. A ladainha is usually followed by a chula or louvacao, following a call and response pattern that usually thanks God and one’s teacher, among other things. Each call is usually repeated word-for-word by the responders. The ladainha and chula are often omitted in regional games. Finally, corridos are songs that are sung while a game is being played, again following the call and response pattern. The responses to each call do not simply repeat what was said, however, they change depending on the song. In its most traditional setting, there are three main styles of song that weave together the structure of the capoeira Angola roda. The Angola roda represents the most strict and traditional format for capoeira and is ideally suited for an introduction and discussion of the music. Though we may consider the music traditional, because it has been passed orally from one to the next until the early to mid 20th century when songs and rhythms began to be notated and recorded, there is no record of to what extent and exactly how the music has evolved over time. Capoeira’s African heritage plays a heavy role in the way capoeira is perceived by its practitioners and understood at a subconscious level. It is a common feature of many African ethnic groups, for instance, as well as others throughout the

world, that music is not so much a form of personal entertainment as it is a medium to bring about group cohesion and dynamic. Music in the context of capoeira is used to create a sacred space through both the physical act of forming the roda and an aural space that is believed to connect to the spirit world. his deeper religious significance exists more as a social memory to most capoeira groups, but is generally understood as evidenced in the use of ngoma drums the berimbau whose earlier forms were used in rituals in Africa and the diaspora in speaking with ancestors, the ever-present term axé which signifies life force, the invocation of both African and Catholic spirituality, and certain semi-ritualized movements used in Capoeira Angola that bring “spiritual protection”. Rhythmically, the music is in 4/4 time, common for music in the Angolan region of Africa, where the rhythms of both Brazilian samba and Cuban guaguancó have their origins. The singing is in Portuguese with some Kikongo and Yoruba words and phrases. The lyrics align themselves with the rhythm of the music, sometimes coming in on the strong beats, sometimes on the weak beats and pickups, depending on the vagaries of the song. It is theorized that the rhythms of capoeira are indeed from Angola,

however, the introduction of the berimbau to capoeira was relatively recent, at least since late 19th century, and the original songs, instrumentation, and rhythms are now lost. Capoeira in its earlier form was accompanied by omar in kikongo, hand clapping, and percussion accompaniment on a transverse hand drum. Since then, a number of instruments, including whistles, castanets, and violas, and likely any instrument available, have been used into the early 20th century. In essence Capoeira is not complete without music. Non-traditional values of the sport are spread throughout many genres from dancing to martial arts. Some of the most prominent fighters in the world have used Capoeira in many martial arts matches, the most notable are mixed martial art fighters in Japan. Capoeira, as a dancing element, has been largely used across the world in break dancing. Many techniques have clearly come out of the Brazilian tradition but without much recognition. This is largely due to ignorance of Brazilian heritage and traditions that underminded the values of the sport. Without the values of a traditional system that gives Brazil heritage, the techniques spread the world over are just faint imitations. They do however prove that Brazilian heritage has accepted and adopted to fulfill the desires of people around the world, which shows that we are all one.

I n t e r na t i o na lToday there are many capoeira schools all over the world, and it has attracted a broad spectrum of multicultural, multiracial students.Artur Emídio was probably the first capoeirista ever to perform abroad. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he went to Argentina, Mexico, the US, and Europe. Groups such as Brazil Tropical, headed by Domingos Campos and M. Camisa Roxa, toured Europe in the 1970s. Jelon Vieira’s Dance Brazil, founded in New York City in 1977, has been particularly influential in popularizing the capoeira among

American audiences. In the mid 1970s masters of the art form began to emigrate and teach capoeira in the United States and other countries. At this time capoeira in Brazil was still primarily practiced among the poorest and blackest of Brazilians. With its immigration to the United States, much of the stigma with which it was historically associated in Brazil was shed. Capoeira has gained immense popularity in recent years due to large events held outside of the original ritualistic sport. Around the world there are several martial artists that incorporate Capoeira into their fighting styles. This includes several champions in mixed martial arts such as Anderson Silva. Others have incorporated it into video games and movies on the international level, Tekken’s Eddie Gordo is the being the most well known. Because of the integration of Capoeira into movies and television, many people disregard the practitioners of Capoeira as spectacles with no appliable uses in fighting. It is a common misconception, especially in Western Countries, that any martial art that looks beautiful must be fake. This includes Chinese Wushu kungfu, Chinese Shaolin Kungfu, and Taekwondo. The concept that these styles are just for show has been proven wrong multiple time over many different generation and many different fighters.

Relogio

Folha Seca