Capoeira: hypnotic movements
and hidden meanings |
IT WAS EARLY evening; the sunset was an exotic blend of flamingo pink and deep mango orange. Walking along the dusty streets of Belavista, Sao Paulo, on the way to the Flavoria fruit market, we turned a corner.
As if out of nowhere, five men appeared standing together, chanting in Brazilian-accented Portuguese, accompanying themselves on a conga drum, tambourine and a berimbau, a one-stringed instrument that the leader of the group was tapping with a reed and a rattle. Enclosing the group, a circle of men, women and children in white trousers began to clap and join the chant, as two men touched hands and then performed cartwheels into the centre of the huddle. They continued to act out a series of movements, slanting back handstands, flexible flips and one-hand spins of over-stretched bodies.
I’ve always had conflicting feelings about martial arts. As a child I was forever beaten in playful fights by my elder brother. And the humiliation of those defeats has never left me. But it was here, standing astonished in the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, that I found what was to become my strength, my education& my bittersweet revenge: Capoeria; a Brazilian blend of martial arts, music, dance and spirituality.
Imagine a game that combines the flexibility of acrobatics, the fluidity of ballet and the kick of karate. Begun in the 16th century by slaves brought to Brazil from African regions which are now Angola, Congo, and Guinea, Capoeira (pronounced “Cap-poo-erh-a”) is a sport, an art, a form of theatre, a historical and cultural ritual.
Rhythmic, intricate and performed at lightning speed, Capoeria looks like a mixture of kung fu and break-dancing. In fact, for centuries Capoeira was performed in Brazil as a dance because slave masters outlawed the martial art, forcing its practitioners to disguise it as a dance form acceptable to the unwitting plantation owners.
I have been playing Capoeira for three years, and for me it is an exercise in the application of all of the senses. What attracts me is that it never gets too serious and tense; you have to flow with the rhythm, react, initiate, taunt, and unlike some other exercise have fun! A martial art which encompasses music, song, dance and fight in a lively, vibrant and visually exiting spectacle of movements and sound, Capoeira has become a philosophy, and spiritual liberation.
Thanks to media exposure, Capoeira is now becoming increasingly well known. After featuring in the recent Nokia mobile phone advertisement, to symbolise speed, the game has gone global. The number of academies, schools and instructors is growing, street performances are becoming a common feature of city life, and there are more opportunities than ever before to play. Capoeira has gained a strong foothold in Europe, the United States and the Far East.
Sylvia Bazzarelli, 33, is the inspiration behind classes and Capoeira schools in London. She became a master of Capoeira in Brazil, emigrated in 1986 and set up her school a year later with her husband. Since then, she has seen about 5,000 people take up the game.
When I ask her to define Capoeira, she hesitates: “Because it grew out of oppression and secrecy, it is infused with hidden meanings. This elusive quality is reflected in the game it cannot be simply defined or categorised. To me it is an art form, a space where you can express yourself.”
Though employing similar moves, each Capoeirista has his or her own approach. Some have an assertive style, others are more passive. “The point is that you bring yourself into it and have fun,” says Bazzarelli. “Some see the fighting style of Capoeira as an interesting way of keeping fit, others enjoy the theatrical and spiritual aspects or simply prefer to watch. It appeals to all sorts.”
Capoeirista players rarely make contact: the concept of the game is to outwit your opponent rather than defeat them physically. Players are able to read each other’s moves intuitively, leading each other on and then spinning out of the way before the other can take the lead, in graceful, circular movements which are hypnotic to watch.
For me Capoeira is more than just a popular manifestation of Brazilian culture, or an art form. It has become a way of life, a way in which I was able to reach the ultimate goal of seeing fear in the eyes of my big brother!
Neha Gadhvi is a second-year journalism student at City University, London |
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