Bahia Travel: Capoeira Demonstration

The Brazil from the sixteenth century was the scene of one of the greatest violence against a people. More than two million blacks men were brought from Africa; by the Portuguese colonizers, to become slaves on farms of sugar cane. Whole tribes were subjugated and forced to sail animals in the ocean as large sand eels calls from slave ships.

Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro was the end of most ports of trafficking. Contrary to what many think, the blacks did not accept peacefully the captive, the Brazilian history is full of episodes where the slaves they rebelled against the humiliating situation where been. One of the ways that resistance was the quilombo; communities organized by black fugitives, in places of difficult access. Generally in the highlights of the woods.

The largest of these quilombos it was established in Pernambuco in the seventeenth century, a region known as Palmares. A species of African State was formed. Distributed Mocambos calls in small towns and with a hierarchy in which apex had been the king-Ganga Zombie, Palmares may have been the cradle of onset of Capoeira. Developed to be a defense, Capoeira has been taught to Blacks still captive, for those who were captured and returned to devices. Not to raise suspicions, the movements of the fight were adapted to African singers and songs that seemed to a dance. Thus, as in Candomblé, surrounded by secrets, the Capoeira can to develop as a form of resistance. From farm to the city to Capoeira won the malice of the slaves 'gain' and visitors the port area. In the city of Salvador, capoeiristas organized into gangs provoked street riot at parties popular and reinforced the marginal character of the fight. For decades the Capoeira was banned in Brazil.

The release of his practice took place only in the decade of 30, when a variation of Capoeira (more for the sport of that cultural event) was presented to the then president, Getulio Vargas. From then until now perfected the Capoeira Angola is keeping in Bahia loyalty to the traditions, mainly thanks to his great guru, Master Pastinha who played Capoeira until the 79 years, training generations of angoleiros.

Elements of Capoeira Angola

Already the Master Pastinha said, "Capoeira Angola is, first of all, fight and fight violence." But now the Capoeira is usually practiced as a sport or simply to perservar folklore traditions.

It is clear that among the serious athletes in training, the blows are only simulated and Capoeira becomes a physical and mental exercise.

The violence of their blows, however, leaves no room for middle ground, or playing Capoeira is' real ', with its serious consequences or just simulating it is a game. The ability to fit it rules in sports is nonexistent; who does so is frivolous or not in fact know the Capoeira.

The Scam

The Capoeira Angola has a relatively small number of scams that may nonetheless achieve a harmonious complexity through its variations. As the music has only seven notes.

Its main scams are: head, Rasteira, Rabo de Arraia, front plate, plate Costas, Half Moon and Slash of hand.

The Music

The Capoeira is the only way to fight martial which is accompanied by musical instruments. This is basically their origins between the slaves, who thus disguising the practice of fighting one species of dance, you are cheating and ingenuity of the master-of-kill. In early this monitoring was done only with touches of palms and drums. It was subsequently introduced the Berimbau (photo), an instrument composed of a rod tensioned by a wire, with the box resonance cut a gourd. The sound is obtained impacted by a nail No wire, you can vary the sound is muffled the sound of the gourd and (or) encostando a currency of copper wire in, supplementing the instrument Caxixi, a wicker basket with dried seeds inside.

The Berimbau, an instrument originally used by sellers itinerant to attract patrons, became a symbol of the instrument Poultry, leading the game with its unique timbre. The rhythms are in torque bar and movements - slow, moderate and are fast indicated by the ringing of the Berimbau. Among the best known are the San Benedict Grande, the St. Benedict Small (faster), Angola, Santa Maria, the touch of Cavalry (which served to warn the arrival of the police), the Amazon and the Iuna.

In a wheel of angoleiros rhythmic complete the set consists of three berimbaus (a serious - Gunga, a middle and an acute - Viola), two tambourines; a reco-reco, a Agogô and a conga drum. The music part is litanies which are still sung in chorus and repeated by everyone on the wheel.
A good capoeirista is obliged to learn to play and sing the themes of Capoeira.

The Game

"Capoeira is a dialogue of bodies, I outsmart when my partner has no more answers to my questions" - Mestre Moraes. The game of Capoeira in friendly manner, ie on the wheel is truly a dialogue of bodies. Two capoeiristas if bless the foot of the Berimbau and begin a slow ballet of questions and answers body, until a third 'buy the game' and thus takes place successively until all entering the wheel.

The Malice

Basic element of Capoeira Angola, the malice or Mandingo makes it even more dangerous. This malandragem that makes and will not go, cut up and back quickly, that swings the body that fools the opponent makes the difference in Capoeira in relation to other martial arts. This is a feature that you learn not only coaching.

Masters

Vicente Ferreira Pastinha (1889-1982) - Master Pastinha, "master of Capoeira Angola and the warmth of Bahia, is of high civilization, man of the people with all its maliciousness, is one of its illustrious, one of his Obas, its heads. It is the first in their art; lord of agility and courage ... " Jorge Amado. Bahia de Salvador, the Pelourinho, Pastinha was the grand master of Capoeira Angola, perfecting the art centenary of slaves. He organized a school established a teaching method based on the old traditions and even wrote the first book of this genre, which sets out his design philosophy. It was with the Master Pastinha who introduced the colors were yellow and black for the uniform of angoleiros and the battery composed of three berimbaus, two tambourines, a conga drum, a recognized and recommended a Agogô. "Capoeira is everything the mouth eat," he said in his natural philosophy. Capoeiristas formed as Big John, Little John, Curie and many others.

Antonio Carlos Moraes
Master Caiçara

One of the legends of Capoeira, its story seems taken from books of fiction. At a time when the pillory was not the glamor of today, Master Caiçara dictated the rules in a territory of prostitutes and pimps, traffickers and of malandros. Everyone had to ask his blessing. Burned one of the main disk of Capoeira Angola which exemplifies the various touches of berimbau, in addition to singing sambas and litanies of wheel. He died in August 1997.

Joao Pereira dos Santos
Master Little John

Master student of Pastinha and one of the oldest and most important masters of Capoeira Angola in activity. The academy of Master Little John, in the historic center of Salvador, spent some of the main angoleiros the new generation. You can see it almost every night playing and teaching the traditional art of Capoeira. Academy of Capoeira Angola of Master Little John Center for Popular Culture Forte de Santo Antonio - San Antonio addition of Caramel Salvador - Bahia

Joao dos Santos Oliveira
Grand Master John

Phd Honoris Causa. One of the main disciple of the master Pastinha. For over 40 years the Grand Master John has practiced and taught Capoeira Angola. He traveled to Africa, Europe and North America, where he currently teaches in his academy in the city of New York. From there he continues maintaining exchanges with the Bahia and tracking the movement of the Brazilian Association of Capoeira Angola.