Capoiera is awesome
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- ArmandoEstrada0
all kicking, flipping punching and they always miss....
- TheBlueOne0
Capoeira didn't evolve out of a dance style. Capoeira is capoeira. It's roots are in Africa, but developed into it;s modern form in Brazil. It has along history and various lineages through time - some from Rio (Called Capoeira Carioca, circa 19th century) were strictly streetfighting - no dancing, no upside down moves - and all those moves are still found in the art today, other forms from Brazil's northeast (Bahia primarily) were more dance-like, and those forms survived the police crackdown on the art until the 1930's. Capoeira is like a buskers art - it used to be done up on the streets for tourists, thus getting more "showier" and then it got added to alot of the brazilian folkloric shows that toured the world in the 50's and 60's. Some capoeiristas stayed behind in europe (Nestor Capoeira) and some in the US (Mestres Jelon in NY and Accordeon in SF) in the early 70's. And it's just gotten bigger globally since that time.
It CAN be a pretty good set of fighting skills - pretty basic,with emphasis on liveness, evasion etc. (and no good fighting capoeirista would ever turn his back or do a cartwheel or whatever in a fight) but it's rarely taught that way, and besides the best part about capoeira is actually playing capoeira, and the aim of that isn't to beat each other up, but rather push each other to find different answers to offensive and defensive puzzles within the game. Plus it's a whole cultural thing - the music, songs, instumentation and rituals of it are vital. I discovered it in '94 myself and have been involved ever since. One of the most complete and humanistic expressions of humanity I have ever come across...
And besides...after the training and the playing and the fighting, you sometimes just samba. And the women are amazing.
- sikma0
correct me if i'm wrong. but didn't it develop as a way for slaves to conceal the fact that they practicing martial arts by disusing it as dancing?
there is a Capoiera studio/club a couple blocks away from my apartment. it looks like fun. maybe i should join.....
- TheBlueOne0
well sikma, that's the legend/myth. And some will even say it's true. I kinda doubt it. Doesn't really make sense. You have to realize that the Brazilian authorities (18th thru early 20th century) didn't just crackdown on capoeira they cracked down on all expressions of african culture - so hiding the martial techniques in a dance wouldn't of worked because the dancing was equally prohibited. Also, slaves didn't have their wrists bound, they had their legs bound, so developing a kicking primary art in those circumstances is pretty untenable.
Capoeira survived the crackdown in Bahia primarily and Bahia is like the New Orleans of Brazil. Just as Jazz and african culture survived in Mew Orleans even in the confederacy, same with Bahia...
- this is my educated opinion. There are others and capoeira politics makes design politics look like kids play....TheBlueOne
- makes sensesikma
- TheBlueOne0
It's about six years old, but the NY Times did a story about the school me and my friend opened with our capoeira teacher back in 2000...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/ful…
I'm out of training there since I live in Manhattan now..and well, my knee is still busted up...
- nice work dudedesigner4rent
- <- thats sweet.. good job on that! I have been training with Brazilians for 10 years (jiu-jitsu) and they work in some Cap once in a whilenicnichols
- jiu-jitsu and capoeira are an interesting mix.TheBlueOne
- Especially when you have no rhythm like me!nicnichols