On Capoeira Songs Part II
By Raposa - Capoeiristas fall into two camps when it comes to singing capoeira songs in other languages. The people who are against it say that Portuguese is the traditional language of capoeira songs and we should preserve that tradition. They argue that the individual should change in order to learn capoeira, not change capoeira in order to suit the individual. Those who are in favor of singing in other languages say that capoeira has always evolved to adapt to its environment, and as capoeira spreads to other countries and cultures, non-Brazilian capoeiristas should be able to freely express themselves in their own languages. They argue that Portuguese wasn't the native language of capoeira's African creators, so why should we stick to it as "tradition"?
Capeira Visitors Etiquette
BY RAPOSA - Last week, an acquaintance of mine, let's call him "Lou" asked me where and when my angola group held classes, because he was interested in training. Lou is a fellow foreigner in Brazil (though not from the same country as me) and capoeirista of 5-6 years experience in a well-known and excellent contemporanea capoeira group. I gave him the info and he showed up at the next angola class and proceeded to make an idiot out of himself.
Developing Expression in the Roda
BY RAPOSA - Lately Daniel (my capoeira angola instructor) has been telling me to "work on expression" in my movements. Ever since I started training with him, he's periodically mentioned that I'm doing the movements correctly but with not enough expression, or with the wrong type of expression - i.e. regional/contemporanea expression as opposed to angola expression. The whole "expression" thing sometimes irks me, for a few reasons...
Capoeira in Popular Culture
BY RAPOSA - In the last few years, we've seen an exponential increase in the number of capoeira's appearances in the media. Capoeiristas are divided on this issue: some celebrate capoeira's increasing recognition and popularity, while others worry that this process will bring about fundamental and damaging changes to the art.
Those who are in favor view any appearance of capoeira in popular culture as beneficial. They claim that capoeira's increased visibility helps advertise the art and encourage people to join. At the other end of the spectrum are those who argue that the media dilutes capoeira and presents a false image of it. They tend to accuse capoeiristas who are involved in these endeavors of "selling out," of sacrificing the art's traditions in order to make a few bucks. There's also the fear that capoeira will become the next trendy workout and end up a pale, commercialized version of its former deep and intricate self.
My own point of view falls somewhere in the middle. Allow me to elaborate some of my thoughts on this tough (and often touchy) issue.
On Capoeira Songs Part I
BY RAPOSA - When I first got into capoeira, I excitedly looked forward to learning the music. I had heard that capoeira songs constituted an important oral tradition, that they were a treasure trove of historical knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom. But when I started looking up lyrics and their translations, I was somewhat disappointed.
