Capoeira: ‘A fight like a dance,a dance like a fight’

It is a 400-year-old martial art that blends music, dance, singing and acrobatics to create a holistic approach to teaching self-defence. The term can signify “an individual who engages in the athletic pastime of the same name, in which the participant, armed with a razor or a knife, with rapid and characteristic gestures, goes through […]

It is a 400-year-old martial art that blends music, dance, singing and acrobatics to create a holistic approach to teaching self-defence. The term can signify “an individual who engages in the athletic pastime of the same name, in which the participant, armed with a razor or a knife, with rapid and characteristic gestures, goes through the motion of criminal acts”

Although it is now being described as a uniquely Brazilian practice, records have it that Capoeira was a dance by slaves which developed in the 19th century in Brazil. It metamorphosed in colonial Brazil as a means of fighting enslavement.

These slaves who originated from Africa, with particular links to Angola, combined local dance styles with elements of traditional beliefs, religion, ‘rhythms and social dances—and an urban-combat “challenge dancing” that used razor blades and sticks. Urban gangs comprised freed or escaped slaves, people of mixed races and Portuguese sailors embraced the art. By the late 1880s, when the Brazilian monarchy fell, Capoeira was declared illegal by the leaders of the new republic. One could be arrested just for knowing how to do it.’

In a strange land, these slaves transformed their routine into a mode of self defence against mean and violent slave masters. As a result of their situation, they trained and practiced under the cover of recreational songs and dances.

“They blended their familiar call-and-response song forms with the regional dialect to create songs that glorified their homeland, deities and future freedom. These songs were accompanied by a number of percussion instruments like the tambourine [Pandeiro), bells (Agogo), and, most importantly, the one-stringed instrument brought from Africa, the Berimbau.

“The Ginga, roughly translated as swing, was created as the basic movement of Capoeira, so that two people practicing it appeared to be dancing together rather than fighting. The Ginga is set to the rhythm of the Berimbau and other instruments [Bateria) to enhance the notion of dance and also to teach timing, a critical element in Capoeira.”

It is also said that the traditional dance/martial arts survived and began to flourish again in the 1930s, when a capoeirista called “mestre” or “teacher”, Bimba challenged anyone to come to Salvador, Brazil, and beat him. Boxers and wrestlers answered the call, but Mestre Bimba’s nickname became Three Blows because he usually needed no more to win.  He later opened a school, and ended up attracting elite members of the society to the art.

The dance is a combination of two individuals who sway around each other in the middle of the room. One reaches out with his foot to trip the other, only to fall, caught off-balance because he has been cleverly dodged.  But the would-be tripper is unfazed and hurls himself into a backwards, fluid cartwheel. Observers who surround them play a role as well, as they sing, smile and laugh at the contenders.

In her article ‘A Brazilian Dance of Life’, Judy Bradford explains the characteristics of the dance and challenges it faced. “Another characteristic of Capoeira that helped to mask its purpose of defence is the avoidance of direct contact and threatening movements against an opponent. The performance is accompanied by music, dance and interaction with the spectators.

Since a slave was obviously not allowed to show direct aggression or even opposition to his master, he had to learn the art of trickiness or malandro. For this reason, modern capoeiristas still prize sneakiness and cunning over strength and aggression. The goal of Capoeira is not to defend oneself through violence but by redirecting and avoiding violence.   

‘Although Capoeira was originally conceived as a non-aggressive practice, it was later used as a violent weapon by street gangs in Rio de Janeiro. With the emancipation of all slaves in Brazil in 1888, many former slaves, lacking jobs and social status, formed Capoeira gangs and took to crime. As a result of the terror caused by these gangs, Capoeira was outlawed in Brazil in 1892. Capoeiristas found teaching, practicing, or using Capoeira were punished severely. The price was a slashed achilles’ tendon, knee, or even throat. Capoeira, however, has always been a resilient phenomenon and its practitioners continued to hand down their beloved way of life to the next generations.

“Although public officials attempted to brand the capoeiras as dangerous and violent hoodlums,the masses admired and respected the performers. In response to the outlawing of their art, capoeiristas moved even further underground in their practice. They adopted nicknames to identify each other as capoeiristas without revealing their real identities. This practice continues to this day with nicknames, usually descriptive of the capoeirista’s style or body type, being given to a newly “baptized” student of Capoeira. They also held their rodas in places that offered concealment or convenient escape routes if the cavalaria (police) showed up.

It wasn’t until 1937 that Capoeira was legalized for practice in registered areas. This development was thanks to the nationalistic president, Getulio Vargas, who wished to promote Capoeira as a Brazilian sport.

Today, Bradford says, Capoeira is practiced all over the world. With the addition of Mestre Bimba’s newer, faster style, Capoeira Regional and various attempts to blend Regional with its ancestor, Capoeira Angola, Capoeira has seen some interesting developments since its liberation in the early 1900’s. It is a renewed source of pride for Brazilians and an adopted way of life for Capoeiristas across the globe.

Capoeira has bloomed in fame and its movements can now be seen in many modern and hip-hop dance performances.

With additional materials from ‘TextsfromBrazil! Photos from dancebrazil.com and damn cool photos.blogspot