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poeir : The D nce Art of M rti l Artsby Master Vicente Ferreira Pastinha November 14, 2011

Some 400years ago in Angola, on the west coast of Africa, a form of combat practiced by thenatives was beginning to take shape in whatwe would today call a martial art. Fourcenturies later, capoeira is practiced in thatSouth American nation known as Brazil. Itno longer uses savage self-defensetechniques that originated in Africa,however. And thereby hangs a tale.

In the days of the great plantations, theowners took a dim view of the capability formayhem that the natives possessed.Practitioners of capoeira suffered greatpersecution at the hands of theowner-dominated police. In order to avoidthis persecution, the capoeristas began tocamouflage their sport by turning itinto a weird dance, consisting of pantomime,music and dances. Capoeira ceased to be a

matter of violence and death and becamean amusement. It became the custom toremark that the natives are playingAngola style. Even the plantationforemen would applaud theperformances as the playerswould jump, weave, gambol, trip and kicktheir opponents, then avoid retaliation byslithering on the ground like serpents.

So in spite of early difficulties, capoeiracaught on. Legendary names appeared:invincible fighters, men with fleshimpenetrable by knife or bullet, men undercontract with the devil, men with charmsagainst the most powerful of enemies, menwho could liberate themselves from anykind of a trap.

poeir s Music l Instruments

The berimbau (a kind of Jews harp) canbe divided into two types: The berimbau de boca and the berimbau de barriga. Theberimbau de boca was said that it cameoriginally from Angola. This, however, iscontested by some students of the subject.It consists of a bow that tightens a cord of timbo (a kind of vine). The resonatingchamber is the mouth of the player. Thecord is made to vibrate by striking it with aknife. The berimbau de barriga is the mostusual type used. It is formed by a piece of

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wood called the pigeon, whichmaintains tension in a steel wire. Theresonator is a small gourd attached to thewire by a string. The wire produces a sound

that is modulated by a copper coin, whilethe mouth of the gourd is placed at varyingdistances from the abdomen of the player.

The berimbau has many quiveringvibrations that are marvelously adapted tothe reproduction in sound of the swaying of hips and the feline jumping of thecapoeiristas. Independently of this, it lends

a melancholy note to the singing of Lundus, which accompany themovements of the game of capoeira.According to Oneyda Alvarenga, the musicof the berimbau is a force activating theenergies of two combatants, and in suchmanner, the music ties itself to the game sothat the latter is entirely dependent on itand is regulated by it. So the ardor of the

battle grows in accordance with thecrescendo or rallentando of the music.

The other instrument that accompanied theevolution of the capoeira is the caxixi. Itconsists of a round bamboo basket withdried seeds inside. The orifice is coveredwith dried gourd skin. It acts as anaccompaniment to the berimbau. Each time

the wire resounds, it is accompanied by therattle of the dried seeds.

The third instrument that frequentlyaccompanies the game of capoeira is thereco-reco. It is a large segment of bamboo,

in which have been made innumerablelateral incisions for the escape of the air,which is caused to vibrate by a piece of cane that is scraped across the incisions in

the side of the bamboo, thus producing thecharacteristic sounds.

Finally, we must consider the pandeiro. Itis a regional instrument, used not only toaccompany the capoeira but also to markthe shaking rhythm of the sambas. Its shapeis well-known: the circle of quince wood,the goatskin top and the jingles of Flemish

tin. Certain societies of capoeira useagog.

poeir omb t Songs

The berimbau is used by the accompanistsof the capoeira to produce definite andresolute tunes that modulate the rhythms of the game. The most important are the

following:

Sao Bento Grande the light game Sao Bento Pequeno samba of thecapoeira Banqnela the knife game Santa Maria the measured game Ave Maria the capoeira hymn Amazonas the middle game

Iuna the creeping game Cavalaria a signal denouncingthe proximity of strangers Angolinha Samba de Angola

In view of what we tell, it is easy tounderstand the character of the capoeira

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game.

At the sound of the music of Sao BentoPequeno, the combat is transfigured intothe clashing of the samba. The goodmasters of capoeira, in order to give ademonstration of singular ability in thisgame, after blows and counterblows, muchwhirling in the space left by the tangle of arms and legs, end the battle withoutshowing a single spot or stain on theirSunday clothes. The old masters, such as I,are capable of similar feats. At my age, 74,

I also perform with my pupils. I would liketo give exhibitions in any part of the world.

As a Brazilian, I am proud of this friendlycountry, which may wish to give me anopportunity to exhibit myself and my pupilsthere, in order to show our Americanbrothers the possibilities of using capoeiratechniques against an enemy, an adversary

or several adversaries, without thenecessity of using firearms or knives. Onthe contrary, the capoeirista, meeting hisadversary armed with a weapon, has thepossibility by means of the lightness andquickness of capoeira, to disarm hisopponent by taking his weapon from him orto vanquish him by tripping and throwingthe armed adversary to the ground. Even

though the capoeirista may be physicallyinferior to his opponent, a good capoeiristahas no fear of him, be he of superiorphysique, a younger man, or armed toothand nail.

In case it may not be possible for me todemonstrate capoeira in America, I shall beproud if your people may have anopportunity to come to Salvador-Bahia in

Brazil to know intimately this game, thispersonal defense, which is the capoeira,substituting well for any weapon, physicalforce or age.