Articles Organized by date (most recent at top) While in Salvador, I made a list of the "key words" that Mestre Valmir and his students emphasized with frequency in the trainings. Here they are, as well as an explanation of more or less what they mean: awareness, smoothness, subtlety, expression, freedom of movement, rhythm, protection, naturalness, calmness, objectivity, respiration, looseness, tranquility, deception, lightness, feeling/soul, patience, visualization, cleverness, mobility, relaxation, control, ‘from the heart,’ balance within unbalance... Capoeira, Ice Skating, and the Power of the "Exotic" For a long time I’ve puzzled at the fact that foreigners go wild over capoeira, practice and research it like crazy, and uproot their entire lives and careers and spend thousands of dollars in order to come to Brazil (not that I know of anyone who’s done THAT...) whereas many Brazilians seem to be just kind of “eh” about it – their attendance at trainings is spotty, they don’t put much effort into practice, etc... There's so much to learn in capoeira that the process can be overwhelming. Oftentimes, we get shortsighted and focus only on the here and now - on the cool move we're trying to master or the new song we're trying to learn. But in capoeira, the concept of lineage is very important. The art is passed from mestre to apprentice, as a precious inheritance is passed from father to son. Your lineage shapes your game, your philosophies, and your manner of learning and teaching capoeira. In other words, much of who you are in the capoeira world is defined by who passed the art down to you. Why I Turned to Capoeira Angola It’s incredible how my view of capoeira angola has evolved throughout the course of my capoeira life. I started out with a simple misconception: that angola was simply regional/contemporânea played slower, lower, and in an impossibly small roda. It was limited to meia lua de compasso, baby aús, headstands, queda de rins, and lots of rolling around in a cramped negativa/rolê – and thus, in my mind, pretty boring. My first instructor knew little about capoeira angola, so none of us had any clue… Capoeira Anti-Advice: What NOT to do How to make a complete fool of yourself, disrespect everyone, and get yourself beaten up… In the last few years, we've seen an exponential increase in the number of capoeira's appearances in the media. Capoeiristas are divided on this issue: some celebrate capoeira's increasing recognition and popularity, while others worry that this process will bring about fundamental and damaging changes to the art. My own point of view falls somewhere in the middle… Training in Brazil: Myth vs. Reality There is a persistent myth, widely believed among foreign capoeiristas, that Brazil is this magical capoeira paradise where people train all day and ginga down the street to the berimbau music constantly playing in the background. Take note, all you gringos: This Is Not The Case… On Songs Part II: Why They Should Stay in Portuguese Capoeiristas fall into two camps when it comes to singing capoeira songs in other languages. The people who are against it say that Portuguese is the traditional language of capoeira songs and we should preserve that tradition. They argue that the individual should change in order to learn capoeira, not change capoeira in order to suit the individual. Those who are in favor of singing in other languages say that capoeira has always evolved to adapt to its environment, and as capoeira spreads to other countries and cultures, non-Brazilian capoeiristas should be able to freely express themselves in their own languages… On Songs Part I: How I Learned to Like Them When I first got into capoeira, I excitedly looked forward to learning the music. I had heard that capoeira songs constituted an important oral tradition, that they were a treasure trove of historical knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom. But when I started looking up lyrics and their translations, I was somewhat disappointed… Ten things that bring me joy and ten things that annoy me in the world of capoeira… What kind of capoeira beginner were you? Democrat or Republican? Paper or plastic? Chocolate or Vanilla? Angola or regional? The division between the two styles of capoeira seems to be one of those great dichotomies. Unfortunately, each camp holds a lot of misconceptions about the other. I don't claim to be an expert, but as someone who doesn't fall completely on either side of the fence, I have a few observations and opinions to share… Helpful hints for both responding to the chorus and leading singing… Helpful hints on general instrument protocol as well as tips for each instrument… Thoughts of a Ronin Capoeirista In feudal Japan, “ronin” was the name given to masterless samurai, those who had no leader to serve. During my first 3+ years of capoeira, I have not been affiliated with a "real" capoeira group and mestre. This is not to say that I teach myself; instead, I learn from various mestres and teachers, here and there, in bits and pieces. The majority of my training has been with the Hamilton College Capoeira Club, which is not associated with any particular group… Sarah and I decided to check out the controversial Grupo Ondas in Warwick, RI. This group and its instructor Tigri have often been attacked on the capoeira.com forums, many accusing Tigri of being unqualified to teach capoeira and of promoting a perverted version of the art, so we went to see for ourselves… Top Ten Reasons I Love Capoeira
|
