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May 18, 2006
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Capo-what? I saw capoeira played in Harvard Square years ago and always wanted to try it. It?s kind of amazing to watch. It looks like a martial art and a dance. While two people ?play,? the group surrounds them singing call-and-answer songs in Portuguese. Their a specific instruments for capoeira. The music dictates the rhythm of the ?fights,? which aren?t so much fights, because no one touches each other or wins. As the Manchester teacher Fumasa (Filipe Maia) says, words and pictures don?t do it justice. You really have to see it in person to understand why it?s being exported throughout the world. What?s so? cool about it? ?It?s this incredible joy of movement thing that you could never explain to anybody,? Brian Findlay, 49, of Nashua said. Findlay has studied for about two years and is about to embark on creating a documentary on the sport/art in the Northeast. ?Compared with writing software behind a desk, this is more human,? Mike Gilmore, who is starting a beginner class in Nashua, said. ?With everyone I meet, I always bring up capoeira because it just brings me so much happiness and is such a great positive in my life,? Sarah Laflamme, 18, of Goffstown said. ?It?s definitely made a huge impact on my life,? said Dan Swanson, 21, of Goffstown. The two took it up a year ago after reading about it in the Hippo. ?I?ve never had anyone say, ?Oh, who is this guy? You?re from New Hampshire. You?re not Brazilian.? They don?t care,? Dan Swanson said. ?You couldn?t have any more mixed people than Brazilian,? Fumasa explained. Fumasa and three of his students will travel to Brazil this summer for the first international meeting of his particular group or school. He reserves the right to leave a student stateside if training or commitment slacks before the July event. They are the only ones representing the U.S. More on what a ?group? is later. How it came to be ?People believe different things.? A lot of it is not written down. The story I?ve heard that sounds plausible is that slaves were brought from Angola ? probably a bunch of different places but in particular Angola ? to Brazil to work on plantations around the 1600s.? They developed a way of fighting that they were able to mask as dancing and get away with practicing as slaves because obviously their masters wouldn?t have them learn how to fight,? Gilmore said. The art/sport was declared illegal until the 1930s when a mestre (master) started the first school for formal training. Soon after, another mestre developed a style called Regional. It?s quicker while the other style, Angola, is slow, thoughtful and lower to the ground. The music has a history as well. I found the beat helpful as I tried to follow Fumasa teaching the basic ginga move to his newest student and I. This, I discovered, is a little tougher when you don?t know left from right to begin with. In a way, you could liken ginga to the way boxers keep moving and keep their fists raised in defense while circling the ring. But this is fluid and choreographed. Even this basic move feels like a serious workout. The back of my legs stung for days afterwards and I was reminded there are actually muscles in my arms even if I don?t use them while glued to a computer all day. I felt like a clumsy elephant ? the other students seemed to have acquired soccer bodies and coordination by that point. ?After the first class, I couldn?t walk up the stairs,? Gibi, 27, a research scientist who left Brazil ten years ago, said. And she was a rower for five years. ?It?s a great workout.? From there, I learned a player might put a leg back, with one hand on the ground, the other arm raised defensively, while another player sweeps a kick over the first player?s head. They don?t make contact. The ginga provides momentum to go into more acrobatic moves. All have names in Portuguese, and Fumasa drills them in different sequences. ?One of the things I like about it is that it sort of pushes the level of what the human body can do,? Gilmore said. ?You can bend over backwards and go into a handstand. There?s a lot of things the body can do that most bodies don?t even bother trying.? Becoming a capoeiraista While students don?t normally switch between training groups, they are expected to go to the cord ceremonies of other groups, called batizado or baptism. The reason for capoeira nicknames, as I understand it, is that when the sport was illegal, the players wouldn?t be able to identify other players if caught. Fumasa means smoke. In Brazil, capoeira is another physical education class offered in school, something adults do in streets and kids do on the playground. Some have a bachelor?s or master?s degree in it. It?s not as easy to set up a Roda on the street here. Fumasa?s group plans to perform outdoors more in the summer with proper city permitting. Fumasa?s class, Capoeira Escola (capoeira-escola.com), contains 10 to 15 students of all ages. It includes a mother and her two sons, ages 10 and 12. She signed them up partly so they wouldn?t lose their language skills, having left Brazil very young. After watching from afar for a few classes, she also joined. She hopes this will provide a connection during the adolescent years. Fumasa?s day job is at the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester, where he also teaches capoeira to 45 9- to 12-year-olds. That?s right, 45 kids with middle-school mentality. Fumasa?s interest in psychology probably helps. He teaches each move as a game, and has devoted a class to letting the kids pass around the instruments since kids that age want to actually touch that stuff, he said. Maia hopes to begin courses in psychology at SNHU this summer. He has a degree in graphic design but doesn?t like the field. When Maia followed his family to Manchester from Brazil a few years ago, he spent a lot of time training alone to occupy himself until he learned English about six months later. Things fell into place for him to take over and grow a class. He visits Brazil twice a year to train with his mestre and sends videos of classes back and forth. Contemporary capoeira Maia belongs to Agua de Beber, which has seven members in Brazil with college degrees in the sport. They analyze the capoeira moves and tweak them to optimize the abilities of the body and protect from permanent damage. For instance, to address knee problems, the ginga was changed from a low move to a higher move. The series of stretches Fumasa teaches look like yoga poses and were designed to stretch muscles used for moves. There is debate about altering ?pure? capoeira. When the group is standing in the Roda (circle that the players fight inside), spectators now bend their knees slightly because research showed locked knees don?t absorb accidental kicks from players very well. Children stand between adults to shield them from stray kicks. Gilmore explains that larger schools have protocol for who stands where in the Roda and who can ?buy? into a game depending on cord level. The players change frequently in the center of the Roda. Students make eye contact with Fumasa if they want to buy in. He acknowledges with body language to go ahead or hold back. To compete, or not to compete ?Every teacher I?ve taken a class with stresses that you?re in there [playing in the center of the Roda] to help the other person get better,? Gilmore said. ?Historically speaking, capoeira never had tournaments. It became popular because, especially here in the United States, if you do an Eastern martial art like karate or tae kwon do, the tournaments are ingrained in that culture. To make it more appealing to North American tastes, people have incorporated capeoira ?tournaments? but if you were to study the history of capoeira as it begin in Brazil, it was never something that occurs. Even nowadays, the tournaments that are going on in Brazil that are sponsored by traditional capoeira groups are only two or three years old. The emphasis is placed on the fighting aspect of capoeria, they don?t really have the full Roda with the instruments, and it?s basically a take-down match using capoiera moves. So yes, there are tournaments. Is it part of the capoiera culture? Definitely not. ?I mean, the minute it becomes part of the culture I?m not doing it anymore,? Gibi said. Gibi is the capoeira nickname of one of Fumasa?s students. Gilmore has a different take. Besides take-down matches (you can see capoeira moves used in video games and some movies), competitions could be set up Angola-style to judge who used the most or best tactics. ?Any of that is going to be evolving over the years,? Gilmore said, and he?s excited to be around for the beginning. But Findley likened it to skiing ? plenty of skiers enjoy the sport and want ?black diamond? skills but don?t race. Women and men, competition and culture ?Nowadays, if you go in the gym, the women are way better than the guys,? Fumasa said. This sets off a debate that offers some insight into why tournaments might grow as more North American men participate. ?I think there are certain movements that require a lot of flexibility and grace and women tend to have more of those two qualities. ... Capoeira?s very creative. You can find movements that require a lot of strength, you can find movements that require a lot of flexibility, a lot of grace, a lot of creativity and it?s how you mix those qualities together that gives you your specific game,? Gigi said. Brazilian men are comfortable with the music, Gigi said, while American women are more receptive than American men, with exceptions. ?Capoeira without music is kind of pointless because ... it?s all about the rhythm and all the movements are based on music and flowing,? Swanson said. Gilmore, who doesn?t yet speak Portuguese, and admits playing an instrument and singing simultaneously is tough for him, said, ?Particularly, young males tend to practice only the physical part, it?s a challenge for teachers to get them to be well-rounded.? ?Males in general are going to want to challenge each other. That does definitely go against the playing aspect, and I imagine that?s always been true ? they?re always trying to one up each other,? Gilmore said. Some American capoeiristas studied an Asian martial art first. Capoeira in New Hampshire Gilmore got hooked after watching the classic Hollywood-ized capoeira movie, Only the Strong, which teachers ?love to hate,? he said. He also took classes in Everett, Mass., at the Brazilian Cultural Center. He thinks capoeira will grow in New England but might change. ?I think it?s good when something like this goes into a new culture it?s good for it to learn from us as well as us learn from them,? Gilmore said. ?It?s going to be diluted in a new culture. When someone like me starts teaching a class, I learn what I can, focus on what I think is important ? some people who learn from me are going to learn my spin on it,? he said. ?This is how these things work,? he said. ?In Brazil, it was split off into different groups. In other places in the world, it might be run by people who aren?t Brazilian,? Gilmore said. You can find groups from Japan to London to Prague. The spread of capoeira in the Northeast is one of the things Findley wants to capture in his documentary, along with getting older capoeiristas on film since some may have been around since the sport was legalized or first exported here but won?t be for much longer. ?A lot of the sports that catch on have absolute winners or losers, there?s no gray areas,? he said. ?There are no competitions of who?s best here, it can be cooperative,? Findley said. Fumasa, who?s pretty much proved this with his class of 45 kids, explains that capoeira groups can easily hold twice or three times as many students as other martial arts. Findley would argue that it?s already had influence here. There?s reasonable evidence from the moves, time and place that breakdancing came about that capoeira inspired it. Comments??Thoughts? Discuss this article and more at hippoflea.com |
See for yourself Batizados Nashua: Visit gilmore.cc/capoeira/ for updates on a new beginner class. The group?s original instructor has left. Portland: Show May 14, 2 p.m. at World Arts, 616 Congress St., Portland, Maine. Workshops May 11 and 12. See capoeiramaine.com. Providence: June 21-25 with Grupo Ondas. See capoeirabcv.com. WaterFire: June 24 at sundown. Bonfires are lit on a Providence canal and general merriment, food, beer and performance abound. About three Saturdays per month at sundown through October. waterfire.org. On the web: For more about different groups, videos of moves, history, music, glossary or language help, or mestres, visit capoeira4all.com, or capoeira.com Climb, box, sweat More unique ways to work up a sweat Boxing is no longer just a man?s sport. Murphy, herself a seasoned boxer, is seeing an increase in women signing up because they want the strength training and the confidence building. ? Aerobic tennis (YMCA, Goffstown, 623-3558) Not for the timid. The staff at the YMCA Allard Center will have you huffing and puffing as you return balls at a rapid clip. Excellent aerobic workout and focus on basic tennis skills. Must be a 2.5 player (advanced beginner) to take this endurance-building class. Summer session begins July 1, registration is June 12. Cost is $85 for the session. The YMCA offers other out-of-the-ordinary sports such as dodgeball and synchronized swimming. ? Indoor rock climbing (Boulder Morty?s, 25 Otterson St., Nashua 886-6789, and Vertical Dreams, 250 Commercial St. #5, Manchester, 625-6919) Not just for lithe teenagers. Rock climbing is about strength, breathing, meditation and relaxation. Boulder Morty?s offers a three-hour beginner class that will introduce you to the fundamentals of rock climbing. The class is held on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and costs $55 and includes a day pass for your next visit. Call to reserve a space. They also offer a one-hour advanced climbing class. Cost is $40 and appointment is required. ? Vertical Dreams in Manchester offers a beginner lesson for $25 that will get you started. They also offer advanced classes and classes in outdoors climbing. Vertical Dreams also takes groups to local climbing areas such as Pawtuckaway State Park and Franconia Notch. No experience is necessary and they bring all the gear. The cost is $150 for the day. ? African Dancing (163 Lake St., Manchester NH 264-5582) A workout craze that is just starting to take hold in the Granite state. Theo Martey, originally from Ghana, teaches this pulse raising class on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. Don?t worry that you will dance like Elaine on Seinfeld; Matley is a patient teacher who accompanies his students on the drums so that everyone gets a good workout. ? Bikram Yoga (195 McGregor St., Manchester, 669-7711) Hot yoga. The studio is heated so that your muscles work better. Bikram Yoga exercises the body with 26 postures and two breathing exercises in a heated room. Practitioners swear that by regularly practicing yoga one can maintain a good weight and good health. It will also reduce stress and anxiety and lift your mood. The studio offers an introduction special of $20 for 10 consecutive days to see if the program is for you. After that, there are various options available such as pre-pay and drop-in rates
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