Now that we have such a nice space to publish our events, class info and our group news, we thought about why not taking advantage of that and use it also as a space to discuss capoeira related topics. Take it as yours and please do leave your opinions and comments.
Thanks,
Kabula Team
By Paul Healey
Just yesterday I was talking to a fellow student about why he started capoeira – his story was that he had seen the movie Only the Strong and liked the capoeira scenes. He now reckons the capoeira in the film isn’t really that good but it got him interested. I haven’t seen the film but it got me thinking about how capoeira has spread to the globe and what it’s like for students that practice and train capoeira outside of Brazil.
Many well known Capoeira Angola Mestres (Moraes, Cobra Mansa among others) have written a lot about how Capoeira has spread to the world – much of this is about the risks of globalization of Capoeira Angola and people learning Capoeira without proper support and leadership.
Due to my family life and work keeping me away from Brazil I’ve now spent a few years training here in London and wanted to comment on training Capoeira Angola in Europe from a Students’ perspective.
So rather than asking what has the expansion of our practice done to Capoeira Angola – I’d like to ask – what is hardest to understand and grasp for those training the art outside Brazil? That isn’t to say some of these things are also hard for those in Brazil as well..
I’m going to put down a few things but it would be great for others to put down a few ideas too:
Learning about what’s it all for – far from other elements of afro-Brazilian culture it’s often hard for European students to keep an eye on what Capoeira is about. It can easily become a hobby, a keep fit exercise or just a task to learn. We know that Capoeira can be lots of things and everybody has their own reasons for doing it but I see that the collective, community, social and cultural objectives are most easily lost in translation. Capoeira as an element of collective social and cultural value that we all contribute to and nurture is easily looked over far from its origins and original context
Time – experience – frame of mind. Capoeira take time learn and can’t be rushed. Most formal learning is much quicker – my PhD was only 4 years……I’ve been doing Capoeira for many multiples of that! Often students here in Europe expect to learn everything in a few years and often give up after 2 or 3 years. Also Capoeira learning can’t be rushed its often better to relax and stop trying too hard – that’s often very hard for people here in the much more competitive, fast paced and often individualistc context of the UK to get used to. I often find myself and others worrying to much about progress what we should be doing is too simply relax, train and enjoy process.
These are just a few things – there are many others including simple but things such as language and linguistic nuances for example but lets leave those for another blog.
Meanwhile, I’d like to ask you your opinion. What is it like to you, a student that practice and train capoeira outside of Brazil?
September 2nd, 2010at 9:20 am(#)
Hi Paul, it’s really good to have the opportunity to discuss and go to a reflection about this subject as it’s on the top of many academic and non academic issues right now. I will be very good if peoples coul have a look and give a feedback on why and how capoeira is connected with local and global values. I mean that from the perspective of a Brazilian Capoeira teacher I have a point of view which shall be very particular to my town and capoeira school backgroung in Brazil. So, it would be very helpfull to hear the feedback from others, students and also teachers and capoeira coleagues which are learning and teachig outside Brazil. Their experiences and process of been atracted for capoeira and for been a capoeirista in a global city like London, Paris, Berlin or New York for example.
What’s the consequences and interferences, and what is the similarities and boundaries that limitate and brings diference about teaching/learning dinamics in Brazil and abroad.
Carlão
September 3rd, 2010at 2:49 am(#)
Thanks Paul for opening the opportunity to reflect on such an expansive and interesting subject!
‘What is hardest to understand and grasp for those training the art outside Brazil?’
The language! Its so lacking in understandableness! Y’all sing and speak in this strange way that sounds very beautiful but doesn’t make any sense at all!
Really though, what I’m sayin’ is… (I suppose following on Paul’s thought of ‘what’s it all about?’ and his mention of language)…
The language of Capoeira Angola is expressed through many means (not just the verbal, oral, spoken)… through the movements, the music (toques), the aesthetics, the interaction within the game itself, the training, the etiquette of the roda, ritual of the practice generally etc. This ‘language’ is something that we as students learn slowly, through time, with exposure and experience of being in and around Capoeira. Not just that we learn to ‘do’ something, but that we try to learn how to express through it. This is definitely an aspect of Capoeira’s social and cultural practice which I feel is much more difficult to come to grips for us outside of Brazil.
Part of this is of course to do with the Portuguese language itself. For non-Portuguese speakers, the sense of understanding of the roda with its songs leading and commenting on the games is obviously massively reduced.
But interestingly enough, I think that is a relatively small part of a bigger question regarding the language of Capoeira. Capoeira obviously enables us to ‘speak’ through our bodies and express collectively without the necessity of fluent Portuguese. Yet, even with this freedom and opportunity for us all to truly express ourselves through the Capoeira, I often sense that there is a lack of certainty or conviction to that expression due to an alienation from Capoeira’s root cultural context. That is to say, because the overall language of Capoeira is so foreign to most here in Europe (or anywhere far-removed from the Afro-Brazilian vibration), I think it is much more difficult for us to achieve a deeply meaningful conversation while expressing through this beautiful artform outside of Brazil.
Enjoy!
Austin
September 3rd, 2010at 9:44 am(#)
Its good to see the debate getting going. Austin – you point about the language is really important. In practical terms, I hope we never have capoeira songs and singing in english, Japanese etc – but maybe thats just me being conservative.
When you say ‘I think it is much more difficult for us to achieve a deeply meaningful conversation’ I would like to ask what do you think we should do differently here far from Brazil to make sure that conversation becomes meaningful. I know it can and does but is Capoeira Angola as we practice and organise it on the right track for that to happen?
September 6th, 2010at 11:25 am(#)
For sure, Capoeira Angola, (as we practice it and organise it here) is on the right track for people of a ‘foreign’ language or culture to learn it (the artform), in order for them to have a meaningful conversation.
There can be no correct way to do this but then to just, as they say, ‘do it’.
One of the aspects of Capoeira Angola that appeals to me most of all is that it is a culture and art based on a tradition which is passed and learned by a practice of repetition. Back to your point initially (where you said, “…that’s often very hard for people here in the much more competitive, fast paced and often individualistc context of the UK to get used to”), this sometimes contradicts the European/Western approach of accelerated learning (and almost instant ‘success’), however this is a very strong texture to the Capoeira aesthetic which relates to the language of the artform itself.
That is to say, one can and needs to practice the same, relatively simple physical movements for years and years, repeating them over and over. And, to a great extent, one will never stop learning the subtle nuances to those movements within the infinite realms of possibilities for their use within the roda itself. However, I have felt at times through my years of practicing Capoeira that this artform is hardly about the movements themselves! There is no competitive aspect to the game really, in my mind, therefore, there is not necessarily any ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ movement in any situation, and really it is more, as i said before about the nature of the ‘conversation’ between the participants of the roda which is of the utmost signifigance and importance. One needs to go through the movements, through the sequences over and over not so much to perfect them in themselves but in order to feel energy, flow and vibration of the roda in order to engage on a more meaningful level (though i hate to quantify that at all). The mandginga, malendragem and malicia are elements of the art which highlight this fact. One cannot help but be amazed at the first opportunity to observe some of the oldest Mestres of the Capoeira Angola playing; for example the obvious, Mestre Joao Pequeno and Mestre Joao Grande. Their games are steeped with the most intense energy, dende, mandginga, malendragem (whatever you want to describe!) yet they, being older men use a very limited range of actual movements and at times hardly move at all, yet still manage to express something intense using their wise understanding of the language of Capoeira Angola.
We could set an example as students, practitioners etc. whereby we held two rodas side by side. One with a hired group of the most highly skilled acrobats, dancers, and musicians who were briefed on the movements and music of Capoeira (but who otherwise had no background experience with Capoeira), allowing them 1 Mestre to oversee and ‘organise’ the roda. Then, in the other we could have a full roda comprised of Kabula students – from 1st day beginners to the more experienced, including Kabula’s own Mestre Carlao, to oversee that roda.
I don’t think there would be any doubt in anyone’s eyes or judgements which roda would be enjoying a more meaningful and engaging Capoeira Angola conversation!
In other words, we shouldn’t worry about trying to learn everything perfectly or even ‘correctly’ but instead focus on the repetition of the ritual itself. When i say ritual, i include ALL aspects of Capoeira in there – from training movement, to music, listening, watching, playing inside and outside of the roda.
I think that slowly, over time, we as a community have, and will continue to have more and more meaningful conversations within the Capoeira Angola here in London and within the wider community outside of Brazil.
Saying all that, i feel it is also absolutely imperative, that every single practitioner of Capoeira Angola, must, at some point take a trip (at least once) to Brazil to immerse themselves in the culture at it’s root and have a taste of the language with its mother tongue. There one can see, hear, feel (and taste!) the strength of vibration which connects us all through this beautiful artform.
September 10th, 2010at 5:00 pm(#)
Interesting Paul!
I would like to carry on your point about people rushing the process of learning and why? I agree in that it really is a lengthy learning curve as Mestre Joao Pequenho who is now 90 yers old right?He always repeats that,” Capoeira you learn for your whole life”. Therefore I only have ten years myself learning this art and I consider it vital to train at-least twice a week , if only there were morning or daytime classes?? That could be a good one for whoever is eager to start doing that .As in Brazil and even other countries such as Germany, Colombia and others people train all day , they adopt Capoeira as a lifestyle , therefore I agree to get the most out of this we have to relax and take it in a lot more instead of constantly reviewing the artform too much as its too expansive to grasp.
September 12th, 2010at 2:17 am(#)
Capoeira , have bee changing , since its begans this flexibility is what have bee keeping capoeira alive ..One of the big challenge of the foreigner in capoeira is to understand the philosophical concept of malandragem and this is not unique to capoeira but a way of life of the oppressed in the world .Sometime I wonder how can someone think about get out of a had situation without live it .Capoeira give a lot of people this feeling ,of get out the box ofevereday live ,do something what is not part of his normal day ,to feel the danger too close , had opportunity of be himself …
That is amazing and is it what keep a lot of people al over the world todayparticing capoeira, beside this capoeira still a big family everywhere you go ( I means real family )…Peace M cobra mansa
September 13th, 2010at 8:26 am(#)
Caro Mestre Cobra Mansa,
Many thnaks for contributing. The issue of fear and danger was soemthing I was considering putting down on the list. Its about being a kid again but at the same time growing-up! I know lots of people that have left capoeira becasue of the danger and misunderstanding thier own fear as other agression…but maybe thats for another debate.
September 16th, 2010at 11:03 am(#)
Thank you, Mestre Cobra Mansa for that input! Yes, this sums up a large aspect of that whole notion of a certain difficulty in practising an artform from outside its cultural roots and context…
“One of the big challenge of the foreigner in capoeira is to understand the philosophical concept of malandragem and this is not unique to capoeira but a way of life of the oppressed in the world”
Perhaps it is most difficult for those who have the least struggle in their lives?
Given Capoeira’s history and its ‘birth’ through the necessity for enslaved people to create, express and believe in themselves through the practice of what became Capoeira, it might suggest that it would, for example be very difficult for ‘the oppressor’ himself to indulge in this art.
On a lesser scale, we, here in the affluent Northern European comfort zone, perhaps have little relative need to understand and communicate through this art, in comparison to people who experience more oppression in their lives generally. This is perhaps why, Capoeira’s value can, at times, in certain spaces, be reduced to a ‘KEEP FIT CLASS’! Far from any notion or drive for its participants to learn about the “philosophical concept of malandragem”. It can merely be ‘seen’ as sequences of movements and/or excercises.
Yet there is some irony here… If for example, cash rich = culturally poor, perhaps here in the west, there is the greatest need for the social and cultural wealth of this beautiful art! Similarly, here, where we abide by a nuclear-family type (relatively solo) existance, there is also perhaps the greatest need for the “big family” aspect to Capoeira which M Cobra Mansa also mentioned and which i’m sure many an Angoleiro would agree is one of the most fundamentally attractive qualities of Capoeira Angola.
Enjoy,
Austin
September 17th, 2010at 6:01 pm(#)
Hey Mestre cobrinha,
Thanks very much for the insight, also one thing that seems to affect us all as students is the concept of our group of capoeira what defines that here and in Brazil do we have the same values and aims as a group of capoeira based in Brazil, obviously not because its such a different environment but then its also interesting what we can raise up in values as a group although personally in such a big,fast and ‘transient’ city such as London I find this quite frustrating sometimes , whatta ya think?????
charley