Someone once told me that Capoeira e Longe and these simple words don't translate well but are intrinsic to me and resonate deeply; Capoeira is a "long road". And there are no truer words and there is not enough lifetime to learn it all. The road starts in Africa and Capoeira Angola the preservation of culture, impregnated in African and born Brasil. Capoeira has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old and did an exchange program in Brazil. Unlike any other activity, it is holistically fulfilling and has become a lifetime journey for me. It provides me with expression in movement, growth in music, learning of Afro Brazilian history and spirituality, development in foreign language, to name a few. I have been facilitating Capoeira Angola at Green School 6 years. I have brought multiple Masters for workshops at Green School that have shared wellness practices, movements and philosophies with our community. Capoeira as a PE offering and afterschool activity has been a mainstay.
It is said that Capoeira is dance, fight and song and the door is open for expression in all of these areas once you have established a strong base in the fundamentals of movement and music. My favorite movement is a "bananeira", the hand stand and like all capoeiraistas I have continue to develop my style in a way that honors my Master.
Roda is the ritual of capoeira that is the culmination of everything that one trains for and is the opportunity for the Capoeiraista to contribute to creating an energy and setting stage for the beautiful demonstration of all of the elements of capoeira. I feel the honor in hosting and love the challenge in orchestrating the ritual. There are so many elements to consider.
"Question and Answer" is the basic concept for movement and a Capoeira Angola game is often likened to a game of chess, where you use trained attacks and defenses that are fluid to respond to the unpredictability and cunningness of your opponent's strategy. Life teaches us to be prepared, yet not attached and thus is just like a game of capoeira. Extending on this I like to say that "Plan A has to be Plan B". Be ready for everything.
Music in Capoeira brings the energy to the roda and calls in Afro-Brasilian Gods "Orixias". One has to be careful and be wise about the songs that are chosen, beat of the instruments and respective movement. This is a great challenge for me as their is myriad of game situations with hundreds if not thousands of songs to choose from. Affirmation requires deep study and discernment.
Capoeira is community, FIRST. Runaway slaves are remembered for creating community know as Quilombos where Afro-Brasilian culture was free to develop and was protected by in hand to hand combat with capoeira. Within a capoeira group I find connection with like minded people. A healthy community is supporting, respectful and receiving of contributions of many different forms.
Slaves resistance, known as "Resistencia" is very nascence of the activation nature of Capoeira Angola. Groups embrace this spirit in their own way to enact and fight for social justice. Our group has a deep respect of nature and is central is a central cause. At my core I use resistencia as a source of energy and inspiration to fight for justice and fairness in the world.
Mestre Pastinha is considered the first to organize Capoeira Angola. He was a free thinker with a strong ideology. His poetry is captured in his Ladainha songs. Over 50 years ago, he wrote in a song stating that anyone can do Capoeira and this progressive mindedness lives on to challenge socio-economic, racial and gender norms. Pastinha's principles resonate with me I find similarities Paulo Freira and his revolutionary work on the "Pedagogy of the Oppressed".
The relationship with your Master is a deep transcending connection that one develops and grows over years. After years of waiting for the right teacher, I am lucky to have connected with Mestre Indio. I am inspired to emulate and learn his style of movement, am aligned and inspired by his holistic values and his life philosophies.
"Mandinga" is the intangible element of the capoeira that can be "learned but not taught" and is to embody playfulness, cleverness and at the same time is emotionally plugged in. I continue to develop and discover my intuitive read on interpersonal and intrapersonal sitations that related to a game or life.
Capoeira is oral tradition and the lessons, philosophy and wisdom lies with the Mestre and the information they pass along. Active listening is critical to growing as a Angoleiro. "Question and answer" is the basic concept for movement, but also facilitates the learning process. Active listening is critical for picking up deeper meanings.
Organizing the Candeia group in Bali for the past 8 years has required a lot of energy, commitment and consistency. Finding spaces, collecting and maintaining instruments, organizing rodas, teaching classes and planning for our Master to visit are all examples of the responsibilities related to running a capoeira group.
My group Candeia, as reflected in our logo, values the power nature, spirituality and ancestry. The candeia tree is bioluminescent, the "beija flor" (humming bird) is a movement, the zebras represent African origins and the Star of Solomon represent the connection to the spiritual world. I strongly connect with nature elements and permaculture.