Thoughts
of a Ronin Capoeirista
Shayna
McHugh
December 2004
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. The teacher,
Roberto Andrade, has 6 years of capoeira experience, also with
several instructors.
Nice
To Meet You! So, Who Do You Train With?
It's
not easy to answer this question... and it's always interesting
to watch others' responses when I explain my situation. Some
simply accept it, others warn, reprimand, or lecture me for
learning with an "unqualified" instructor. One mestre
told me flat-out, "the reason your game is not developing
is because you train here and there with various people."
To these criticisms I have three things to say: 1) Saying my
capoeira is not developing is simply untrue. Every year I have
made progress in my movements, my game, my abilities to sing
and play instruments, and my understanding of the art; 2) I
have no other option. Roberto is the most experienced capoeirista
within a two hour drive... and I have no car; and 3) Roberto
may not be a mestre, but he's far from "unqualified."
He's a solid capoeirista and an excellent and patient instructor.
He has never charged us for classes, but instead gives generously
of his time and energy to share his knowledge of capoeira with
us.
It can also be a little tough to fit in when I visit other groups.
Yes, I have shown up in blue pants to a group that wears all
white, shown up in all white to a group that wears yellow and
black. Sometimes I have trouble "placing" myself if
the class is divided up into beginner/intermediate/advanced
levels of instruction: I don't want to be presumptuous and assume
that I can jump right in with the more advanced group; but I
also don't want to look like a show-off by going with the more
beginner group and then being by far the most experienced one
in it. It can be an awkward situation.
The
Good Stuff!
Despite
the occasional difficulties, being a lone wolf among packs of
capoeiristas has had far more pros than cons.
First of all, it has made me a very versatile capoeirista. Being
exposed to diverse styles of teaching and playing has opened
my eyes and made me attuned to the subtle differences among
them, and I can adapt my style to fit the environment. I'm comfortable
in virtually any roda: traditional Angola rodas led by students
of Pastinha... aggressive, fight-like rodas in which games end
in intense wrestling matches... fluid and beautiful performance
rodas in front of a large audience... the spontaneous games
that arise on the streets and beaches of Brazil... I'm not a
full angoleira nor a full regionalista nor a full contemporânea
capoeirista, but a little bit of everything; my style is unique
and can't be "pinned" to a certain group. I've seen
many capoeiristas that are very good within their own group,
but cannot play in a roda that differs from their group's style...
I prefer to be versatile; "a capoeirista must be a chameleon,"
says Mestre Suassuna.
Secondly, I believe I've learned much more about capoeira than
I would have if all my training was with just one mestre. "Ninguém
é dono da verdadeira absoluta," writes Mestre Bola
Sete: no one possesses the absolute truth. Everyone has different
perspectives... on everything from the history of capoeira,
to the significance behind the very movements and songs, to
the best method of teaching it. Hearing so many diverse and
often contradictory viewpoints from students and teachers of
the art has allowed me to keep an open mind and to form my own
opinions.
Another benefit of being outside the group system is that I
remain un-batizado'd and unranked. Consequently I don't place
much importance on rising through the cord levels, comparing
my abilities with others', obsessing about who does and doesn't
get the next cord at a batizado and why, etc. I have a corda
crua (used in many groups for unranked beginners) simply to
hold up a couple pairs of abadás that will fall down
without one. Even that got me into trouble in Bahia - people
would come up to me on the street and say "careful, because
in some groups that's the color of a mestre's cord, and they
won't like you wearing one." :::shrug:::
Finally, being unaffiliated with anyone keeps me out of rivalries,
politics, and the other nasty issues that can sometimes come
between students and instructors of different groups. I try
to respect, get along with, and learn from every capoeirista
I encounter, and I've generally been successful.
In
Conclusion...
I'm glad that for the first few years of my learning I haven't
been a member of a "real" group; it has helped me
become a more versatile, open-minded, and complete capoeirista.
Please understand that I'm not saying I'm the perfect capoeira
player - I consider myself very much a beginner, and I still
have TONS more to learn. And I don't write this at all to criticize
capoeira groups or their members - after all, I won't be a ronin
capoeirista forever! I graduate Hamilton College this year,
and when I settle down and live in one place for more than a
few months at a time, I'll join a real group. Fortunately, my
experience as a capoeirista sem mestre has led me to train with
and visit so many groups' classes that I have a pretty good
idea of what kind of group I'd like to be part of, both in terms
of capoeira style and teaching style. Roberto has told me that
his aim is to open our eyes so that when we do leave the college
club and choose a group to join, we choose wisely. In this,
I believe he has succeeded.
A
few of the Hamilton College capoeiristas, May 2005
