User:Devon Manning

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Capoeira: A Dance Combining Martial Arts and Afro-Brazilian History

The Afro-Brazilian Martial Arts Dance, Capoeira, has been around for hundreds of years. The style of this dance has never been practiced or even tried. Its unique style includes the influence of martial arts, such as, kicks, sweeps, flips, hand stands etc. The history, development, performance, styles of the dance, and the instruments are what make this particular dance so unique. These areas of the dance have had a major role in how the dance is performed, the way the music is played and artistic moves that are performed.

Capoeira has a long history that dates back to the 1600’s. Although some people consider Capoeira an African martial-art it actually did not begin in Africa. But the origins and influences were mainly African. The Portuguese first arrived in Brazil in April, 1500. With Brazil’s 3700 mile coast line and facing Africa, this allowed contact to be easier between Portugal and it’s colonies in Africa and South America. Due to this, many African people were shipped overseas to Brazil to become slaves for these Portugal landowners. Many of the slaves brought over and continued to practice many types of martial-arts, such as, the Sanga which means “To Triumph” (hipbrazil.com). These martial-arts dances had a major influence on the development of Capoeira.

Before the dance was developed slaves were not allowed to practice any self-defense. Mestre Pastinha stated in the book Capoeira: The Dance-Fight-Game, “The African Negroes, when Brazil was a colony, were slaves and under these very inhuman conditions they were not permitted the use of any type of weapon nor to practice and form of self-defense that would put in danger their master’s security” (Capoeira 297-8). Being prohibited to practice self-defense, the African slaves created a way to continue their martial-arts roots while having a celebration so they managed to practice and master slipping martial-arts moves into their evenings of music and dance. This is when Capoeira was invented. The development of Capoeira as a fight occurred in the quilombos, basically because it was needed not just defend against physical aggression, but as defense in life or death situations in which the attackers did not simply use whips, but rather deadly weapons, even firearm and cannon (Almeida 16).

Beyond the gymnastic fighting techniques that are used, in the nineteenth century police perceived this dance to be associated with groups or gangs that the government didn’t want to deal with. At times when slaves were caught performing the Capoeira they were beaten either by the police or by wealthy white landowners. Thomas H. Holloway wrote, “This illustrates several features of a system of social control, as well as the relationship among the public authority of the emerging Brazilian state, the private rights of slave owners over their human property, and the rage and resistance seething just below the surface of the slave society.” Even though slavery ended in 1888, the Brazilian government outlawed the Capoeira dance. Many people were arrested during this time for disrespect to authority, possessing illegal weapons, and performing the Capoeira.

The Capoeira dance has two different styles that are performed, the Capoeira Angola and the Capoeira Regional. First, the Capoeira Angola is the original dance that was developed by the African slaves. This dance was one of many cultural weapons used to break the chains of enslavement in Brazil. The dance was a was to teach rhythmic heart of the art and to disguise it’s main purpose. To slave owners it looked as if the slaves were being playful using acrobatic dances and joking around. Eventually, the slave owners realized the dances power and immediately outlawed the dance Capoeira Angola. If a slave was caught performing or teaching this dance they were immediately put to death. Due to this slaves had to perform and teach the Capoeira Angola in secret. Around the 1930’s this dance become legal to perform and teach in the public. Grand Mestre Pastinah opened the first Capoeira Angola school called The Academia De Capoeira Angola in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mestre Pastinha dedicated his school to preserving and continuing the long tradition of this African martial art. The dance has migrated to other places in the world. The United States has many Capoeira academies in different states such as New York, California, Georgia, Colorado etc. The second type of Capoeira dance is called Capoeira Regional. This dance was influenced by the original Capoeira Angola dance but changes were made to create the dance. Manuel dos Reis Machado, better known as Mestre Bimba, is the creator of Capoeira Regional. He developed this dance style so it would be more accessible to the public and would not be associated with the criminal element of Brazil. It is a faster and a more aggressive dance performed than Capoeira Angola. It has the original basis of the Capoeira Angola but the movements are faster to give the dance a more competitive aspect. It usually is practiced with the players further away from each other. Capoeira Regional is considered the more enjoyable dance to watch out of the two dances due to the speed and acrobatic movements used in the performance. Many shows are performed in theaters and folkloric shows in Salvador in order to entertain the tourists (iml.jou.ufl.edu). Capoeira Regional is the only dance to acquire a ranking system for their dancers or also called Cordao or Rope.

The Cordao or Rope is an advancement of classes for the students learning the Capoeira regional. As the student progresses through the teachings of his/her Mestre (Master) and has developed the necessary knowledge and skill of the dance they are then given a Batizado ceremony or baptism. These special students are baptized in the art of Capoeira and are given a rope, usually green. With this responsibility the student must perform various tasks as a new Capoeiristas. They must persist in the movements that were taught, learn how to speak Portuguese, learn the history of Capoeira and music and various philosophies and customs of Capoeira. With the advancement of each rope the player is representing a more complete and well rounded Capoeirista. As the student continues to rise in class so has their knowledge and experience. Only few students reach this plateau, but if a Capoeirista wants to receive the blue rope, or graduate from the school, they must show dedication, desire, knowledge, and ability to receive this high honor. Once graduated, the Capoeirista can now further their education by learning to become a teacher. The student will now teach under the supervision of the Mestre preparing their way to become a Mestre themselves. Once the student has received their Master’s they will remain under the same color of rope for at least five years. The music that is made for this dance comes from some interesting instruments. All the instruments used in the Capoeira are descendents of Africa, which means they are not native to the country of Brazil. Rhythm is the heartbeat that makes this dance/game go fast or slow and hard. The instruments that are used to make these rhythms and dance what they are. The first instrument that is used is considered the most important instrument which is the berimbau. The berimbau is a long bowed stick that has a metal string attached from end to end. It has an unusual timbre produced by striking a rod and a ring or coin on the metal string. It’s played together with a caxixi which is shaken while striking the string. To vary the sound, a rock or dobrao, held in the same hand as the berimbau is pressed against the frame. Pressing down firmly changes the sound approximately by one note. Variations using this instrument can be used to make different sounds. The second instrument is the atabaque which is used in most Capoeira rodas. It’s a large drum that is made of skin hide and is tightened through a system of metal rings, ropes and wooden wedges. It’s played with the hands and has a basic four beat rhythm with the emphasis on the third. The beat goes by the following pattern: [right, left, RIGHT, right]. This rhythm is similar to the pandiero. This instrument is a bigger version of the tambourine and is considered the complete percussion instrument because of its low, medium, and high timbres. It’s made of wood, goatskin, and has five sets of jingles. The pandiero, which is played with the fingers and thumbs, has a four beat rhythm with the emphasis on the third just as the atabaque has. The rhythm pattern is: [fingers, thumbs, FINGERS, thumbs, shake]. The final instrument used is the a-go-go. It’s made of iron and steel and is used in the samba and its offshoots. The sound is made by striking a stick against the instruments two bells.

The Capoeira has a long and interesting history. The way I look at it is it’s a great thing how the development of this dance came about. African slaves were forced to leave their native land and began working for people. Being able to continue native culture and traditions and to come up with a dance to defend themselves from their owners show guts, creativity, and love for where they came from. This dance has come so far to being outlawed in years in Brazil, having schools built in the name of the dance, having two separate dances that could be performed, and eventually achieving the ultimate goal of becoming a Mestre. The sound and instruments make this dance unique and original. This dance ritual has come a long way from its beginning. Anyone who learns or studies this dance will appreciate what this dance has gone through.

Bibliography Almeida, Bira. Capoeira, a Brazilian Art Form: History, Philosophy, Practice. North Atlantic Books: 1986

Capoeira, Nestor. Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game. North Atlantic Books: 2002

Holloway, Thomas H. “A Healthy Terror”: Police Repression of the Capoeirasin the       Nineteenth Century Rio de Janiero. The Hispanic American Historical Review Vol. 69 (1989) 637-676

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall02/oliveira/regional.html

http://www.hipbrazil.com/dance_capoeira.html