The Evolution of Capoeira Style - Term Paper Example

? The Evolution of Capoeira Due The Evolution of Capoeira Martial arts have been physical representations of cultural beliefs for several millennia. Their roots date back to the early ages when self-defense was necessary at times to ensure survival, particularly in the peasantry class, where the people were not allowed to bear arms and often had to defend themselves against abuse. Martial arts have developed roots in many countries across the world, and many are very similar, but all of them bear the mark of the culture where they originated. I pre-colonial Brazil, a martial art emerged that changed the face of martial arts in many ways. This style is known today as Capoeira and reflects much of the Brazilian culture. This paper explores the rituals of Capoeira, revisits the history of the martial art and the country it originated from, takes a look the cultural aspect of the art, and explains the relevance of Capoeira to the style that is practiced today in the United States. The Ritual One of the interesting parts of this style of training is that the students usually learn to sing and play an instrument as a part of their training and development in Capoeira. Songs are sang in Brazilian Portuguese, which is why students are encourage to learn at least a basic understanding of the language. According to Lucia Viti (2003), the songs are used to set the pace of the fight. Chanting and clapping are also used to create rhythm and add excitement to the class. Some fights are aggressive and exciting, while others are low and intertwined. Capoeira contains a wide range of musical instruments used to mediate the mood or feel of the class and widen the skills of the practitioner, particularly the advanced students. Some of the instruments allowed and commonly used in Capoeira are the drums, agogos, tambourines, berimbaus, the ago-ago, known in the United States as a cowbell. One of the most popular and unique instrument is the berimbaus, which is well known for its use in Capoeira training. According to Sarah Delamont (2006), the berimbaus is usually wooden and curved like a bow, with a gourd attached that has been hollowed and a wire that helps create the curvature. The reco-reco is another instrument used. Sometimes this instrument is shaped like a fish and often used like a scraper. The Breakdown of the Classes, Fights, and Events The class is often broken down into two sections. In the first section of the class, the students are working on their technique, warming up, and learning concepts about the game. In the second section, the students get together as a group and form a ring. Two students are chosen to step inside the ring and perform. These students engage in a non-violent fight where they display their skill to the group. The other members of the group, still forming a ring, chant and sing while the two in the middle fight. The participants can be male or female and sometimes they are pitted against each other. To begin, the opponents squat down low to the ground to shake hands with each other. The ginga, or the swing, is the most basic move in and more or less the fighter’s stance. This would be equivalent to the sparring stance in Taekwondo or another sparring sport. This is acceptable, since this is not a contact sport. During the fight, the evaluation examines the fight itself and how it feels rather than focusing on the fighters. The fighters are considered successful when they follow the feel or rhythm of the music and atmosphere. According to Delmont (2006), “Festivals include baptism and graduation ceremonies, when masters from other cities come in to judge, give demonstrations, and teach classes” (____) Acrobatics are an important element that sets Capoeira apart from many other martial arts. Capoeira involves cartwheels and inversions often as a part of the intent of the fighters. The acrobatics display physical ability and serve a diversion to the opponent. Many fighters implement acrobatics into their fighting styles. Even instructors in their 50s incorporate acrobatics into the fights because they have been training for decades and the acrobatics are considered indicators of advanced students. The cultural meaning Martial arts in Korea, China, Japan, and Thailand have a slightly different structure than Capoeira because they expect their students to strictly obey the instructor and higher ranks, even to the point of humiliation. The authority of instructors in these types of martial arts is basically law. The structure of Capoeira classes is less rigid. The classes are loud with music and singing and bilingual talking as well as non-verbal cues from the instructor. The commands from the instructor are typically given in Brazilian Portuguese. Students are also taught skills and given instruction in private conversation with the instructor. The Capoeira teacher must motivate the students, conduct all recruiting, and maintain high quality instruction in order to keep students coming back so the instructor can afford to run the school and make a living. The teacher depends on his or her ability to demonstrate the knowledge of Capoeira, the physical ability, and the skill on the dance floor. The instructor’s ability to outperform the students is key in maintaining popularity in this style of martial arts. The renaming of the students is also an important process and having that skill is vital for the instructor. The fighters are given pseudonyms that they use during fighting. Delmont (2006), offers examples of names of famous fighters, such as “Beloved of God,” and “The Black Leopard.” The teachers themselves have pseudonyms that come from Greek heroes and heroines. More advanced students are called Capoeiristas which, according to Danielle Hedegard (2007), are considered students who understand the different games and aspects of the art and can play them efficiently. However, Capoeira also allows tourists and casual learners to participate, particularly in the Brazilian schools, where the atmosphere is most relaxed. Viti (2003), points out three levels of fighting in Capoeira that add to the philosophy. The first level is “playing in the dark,” which is known as “the fight” portion of the contest. The second level is “playing in the water,” or the “philosophy” portion of the contest. The final level is “playing in the light,” or the “distinction between the fighter and the fight” portion. Improvisation is also very important in training and Viti (2003) reveals that the mixture of philosophy, art, dance, and combat is believe to free the soul. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the training in Capoeira is that. students are also engaged in an active social life outside the training arena. The students often get together after class to drink and socialize. As a matter of fact, for many students this is a contributing factor to their devotion of their training. Students socialize outside of classes, but they particularly get involved when festivals are being held. The Capoeira uniform is often basic white trousers, a t-shirt, and a colored cord that is tied around the waist to signify the level of the student. Hugging is very common among students, especially with other students they have become close to. Cheek kisses are also extremely common, particularly to the instructor and between female students. However, the use of such informal embraces is not restricted between males and females or thought inappropriate in the training atmosphere as it is in London. According to Delmont (2005), Capoeira has close ties with samba, a Brazilian style of dance, candomble, a Brazilian religious practice, and carnival. Axe’ is a term studied by Delmont (2005) to mean a “force” or “spirit” or “energy.” This is what the Brazilians use as the feeling for the fights when training. It is similar to the idea of the force in the Star Wars series. Many practitioners like to say that Axe’ reminds them that the presence of African gods and goddesses is still felt on Earth. Many trainees believe that the vibe has to be right in order for Capoeira to work properly. In addition, Capoeira has a very different mental strategy than most Asian martial arts. Trickery and deception are not only allowed, but encouraged and a necessary part of the strategy of the training. Sansi (2008), tells us that some have related Capoeira to forms of African witchcraft, such as fochado, mandinga, patua’, or forte. These accusations were most likely a result of the political turmoil that occurred in the final years of slavery and most likely a tool of the Republican party, whose view toward the sport is explained below. A cousin of Capoeira is the French style of dance martial art known as Danmye. According to Maria Vicente-Fatna (2005), the two started out with extremely similar roots regarding the stories about their creation and use of dance and acrobatics. However, the two have grown apart slightly over the years as Danmye has evolved to allow grappling, strikes, and kicks in their style. These more direct attacks are not considered appropriate or desirable in Capoeira. The History The legend of Caoeira is that it has existed for hundreds of years and was developed by African-Brazilian slaves in pre-colonial Brazil. The slaves supposedly developed attacks that would protect them from dangers like physical blows, firearms, or weapons. Roger Sansi (2008) claims that the myth about the origin of Capoeira and the fact that it was developed by slaves actually originated in the twentieth century and may not be accurate. For a while, Capoeira became a political tool used during times of political conflict. For example, Sansi (2008), found that a Conservative politician used Capoeiran experts as their mobster during the last years of slavery. This caused the Republic party to view this style of martial art and those who practiced it as their enemies, so the sport was banned. It remained an illegal street sport until the 1930s, when it was formalized and made available to middle class white men. Delamont (2005) argues that it was actually legalized for African Brazilian men before others were allowed to train in it legally. The typical early modern Capoeira student was often associated as a malandro, which is a Brazilian term for a man who engaged in other questionable activities such as gambling, seduction, or pimping. The city of Salvador de Bahia is the home of Capoeira, and where the art became legalized after a long journey through the Brazilian history. The first Brazilian anthropologist to find Capoeira interesting enough to study academically was Edison Carneiro, a folklore scholar interested in Brazilian mythology. Capoeira Today According to Lucia Viti (2003), modern Capoeira combines from a combination of two older forms of the martial art. The two types are known as Capoeira Regional and Capoeira Angola. Regional Capoeira involved more traditional types of movements and included combinations or sequences, incorporated sweeps, and used traditional moves. Angola was more fluid style, with an “anything goes” attitude (Viti, 2003). Today, in Brazil, Capoeira still carries a mixed race feeling, integrating African and Brazilian cultures together with ease and comfort. Hedegard (2007), discovered that the larger society of Brazil offers students inspiration in their training and music. Students often make up songs about their city, their school, the students, and their instructor. The history of Salvador and the slave trade are also major subjects in the songs. Hedegard (2007), also found that Capoeira has evolved from a hobby or pastime in Brazil to become more of a subculture. It is now considered a very normal part of everyday life in Brazil. However, this is not the case in the U.S., where students who walked down the street in Capoeiran clothing are looked at with incredulity and suspicion (Hedegard, 2007). The students are so well-versed in the Brazilian Portuguese language that they can improvise songs and lyrics during fights. Some students join at the Brazilian schools because they are looking for a sense of community. Others want a grasp of the ideology and history of the slave trade and are trying to experience a cultural byproduct of that period in Brazilian history (Hedegard, 2007). Regardless of their purpose, new students are accepted and welcomed into the relaxed atmosphere of Brazilian training. Danielle Hedegard (2007), tells us that the first foreign Capoeira school was opened in 1997 in New York. Today it is present in over 80 countries, and many practitioners travel to Brazil to visit and train once they reach advanced levels. According to Roger Sansi (2008), Capoeira became popular in Europe and the United States in the early 2000s. When Capoeira was first introduced in the United States, the fear was that it would lose its cultural meaning and value in the eyes of United States students due to the effect of globalization and the tendency for the U.S. to hybridize outside cultural customs once they enter U.S. territory. However, Danielle Hedegard (2007), found that rather than losing its cultural identity in the transfer from Brazil to the United States, the practice of Capoeira actually developed a more rigid, structured ideology and set of practices than it did in Brazil due to the fact that it is taken for granted among Brazilian citizens because of its large cultural and societal acceptance. Because Capoeira requires an expert to teach the class, and group classes are essential to its practice, it has built an immunity to cultural reinterpretation and according to Hedegard (2007), it has even managed to avoid being, easily consumed as an encounter with the exotic other” (___). Formal school maintain the structure of the style of Capoeira in the U.S., although these school are not necessary and rarely available in Brazil. The schools in the U.S. hold annual batizados or testing events in which the students are evaluated for new cords. In class, not clapping, singing, or playing incorrectly were considered detrimental to the fight. Hedegard (2007), also found that only the advanced students in Brazilian schools were evaluated regularly, while in the U.S. all students were evaluated in every class. In additional, U.S. students were evaluated on their knowledge of the sport, the history, the rules, and the philosophy. Hedegard (2007), noticed that students who did not show a working knowledge of these elements were yelled at and chastised for not studying outside the classroom. In Brazil, the cord ranking system was followed, but not openly recognized, while the U.S. ranking system was strictly enforced. Learning to play an instrument or speak Brazilian Portuguese was not taught in class, but students were expected to learn it outside of class, and they were confronted by higher ranking students if they did not (Hedegard, 2007). Memorization of the songs is very important, because the songs create the feeling of the class. Unlike the Brazilian students who were exposed to the music, history, and philosophy of Capoeira since birth, the United States students were expected to seek information on these elements from higher ranking students. In addition, the U.S. students were evaluated on their devotion to their training and their loyalty to their instructor. Hedegard (2007), tells us that, “The Brazilian students allow a variety of practitioners and debate over style, but the US school requires stylistic and ideological conformity among all students, forming a rigid and explicit meaning system” (____).Advanced students who wanted to move up in levels were also expected to seek outside assistance, particularly in the form of making a trip to Brazil to train in the motherland of the martial art (Hedegard, 2007). The contact with Brazilian practitioners helps maintain the Brazilian culture and purity in the sport back in the U.S. schools. Conclusion The roots of Capoeira date back centuries approximately to the time that slavery was dominant in the country. While there is some debate, most mythology points to the likelihood that this style of martial art was developed by African Brazilian slaves as a form of self-defense, and later became a ritualistic sport after centuries of political turmoil and lack of acceptance. The sport incorporates dance, acrobatics, sweeps, and attacks. Music and instruments are a major element in the fights that take place and create the feel or atmosphere for the fighters. The classes are conducted in group settings under the instruction of an expert. The Brazilian language and culture are still very apparent and dominate in the training and remain a large part of the philosophy of the art. The social aspect of the training is also a major component of the culture. In the U.S. the ideology is rigidly taught and followed in a more structured manner than in Brazil, to make up for the lack of cultural exposure the U.S. students have experienced. References Delamont, S. (2005). No place for women among them? Reflections on the axe’ of fieldwork. Sport, Education & Society. 10(3) p. 205-320, DOI 10.1080/13573320500254935 Delamont, S. (2006). The smell of sweat and rum: Teacher authority in Capoeira classes. Ethnography and Education. 1(2) p. 161-175 Hedegard, D. (2007). Becoming a Capoeirista: The diffusion of a complex cultural form from Brazil to the US. Conference Papers -- American Sociological Association Sansi, R. (2008). The hidden history of Capoeira: A collision of cultures in the Brazilian battle dance - by Maya Talmon-Chvaicer. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 14(4) p. 925-926 Vicente-Fatna. M. (2005). Dance spirit. 9(4) p. 114-116 Viti, L. (2003). Master class Capoeira: Let the games begin. 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