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Que Roda Maravilhosa é Essa: a Glimpse on How Capoeira is Played | Weronika Kubik
from Issue 9 Games
Weronika Kubi
Que Roda Maravilhosa é Essa: a Glimpse on How Capoeira is Played
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “game”? Video games? Chess? Football? Hide-andseek? The world of games is widespread, diverse, and entertaining. However, games can be so much more than what they appear to be. One such surprising activity is capoeira – a complex mixture of physical exercise, acrobatics, and music, which holds tremendous cultural and historical importance primarily, but not only, for the people of Brazil.
Even though it is considered a martial art, its practitioners would never say that they use it to fight. The proper Portuguese terminology is jogar capoeira, which translates to “to play capoeira.” Hence, capoeiristas themselves can be referred to as os jogadores, or “players.”
There exist several hypotheses about the origins of capoeira, two of which are the most prominent. Some trace its roots back to Angola, a country in Southwestern Africa, which used to be one of the main sources of slave labor in colonial times. Others believe that it originated later, among slaves who worked on the plantations of Brazilian fazendeiros. There, the eye-catching martial art had to be disguised in a way that would not alarm the overseers and slave owners – with its music and rhythmical movements, it resembled a complicated dance. As such, it could have been practiced without putting the enslaved people in danger of being punished or suspected of preparing a revolt against their oppressors.
Today, capoeira continues to be a defense against social and economic oppression, even though the times have changed. It’s not unusual for mestres and instructors to set up pro bono programs directed at youth from impoverished neighborhoods. There, young people who often come from disadvantaged backgrounds can nurture their newly found passion and build friendships that only grow stronger as time passes. Because of how diverse capoeira is, each person can find ways to practice it that incorporate their individual skill set and talents. Moreover, they could find themselves exploring one of its three distinctive styles: Angola, Regional, and Contemporânea.
Capoeira Angola is believed to be the style preserving its African heritage to the highest degree. Mestre Pastinha, conventionally called the creator of Capoeira Angola, started his school Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola in 1941 in the city of Salvador. In his teachings, the master focused on the fluidity of movements, which are performed close to the ground at a slow pace, and require the players to find a perfectly smooth rhythm of attacks and defenses. He also stressed the importance of malícia, a sort of cunning that allows an experienced capoeirista to outsmart their opponent.
By contrast, Capoeira Regional is much quicker and more dynamic. It was officially established back when practicing this art was still illegal, that is, under the rule of Getúlio Vargas in the 1930s. The first school of Capoeira Regional, Academia-Escola de Cultura Regional, was founded in 1932 in Salvador by Mestre Bimba. When it comes to this style, it emphasizes the speed and acrobatic prowess of the players and includes a wide array of kicks, strikes, and grapples which make it a more aggressive variety. Additionally, unlike in Capoeira Angola, Regional has a gradation system, which differs slightly from one capoeira group to another. Still, it involves awarding its practitioners with colorful cordas, or ropes, worn alongside traditional white abadá trousers. Each color is a mark of the growing experience and skill of the practitioner. The advancement to the next level is decided by a council made up of instructors, professors, and sometimes even mestres of a particular group. It is an acknowledgment of the dedication, hard work, and overall growth of a student.
Being rewarded with a new corda is always a thrilling experience. The overwhelming joy, pride, and excitement can be felt in the crowd, as the mestre wraps a freshly dyed rope around a student’s waist and encourages them to play with instructors, guests, and other alunos as a type of initiation ritual. The joyous atmosphere is completed by cheerful exclamations and singing that fill the hearts and souls of the players with inimitable energy.
Capoeira Contemporânea, on the other hand, is a fusion of both of the traditional styles. It’s believed to have emerged in the 1970s as a modernized, more creatively open version of the martial art. The contemporary style includes Angola’s focus on the fluidity of movements, mixed with Regional’s spectacular attacks and acrobatics, and may even be influenced by modern dance forms and musical styles.
Music is one of the key features of any style of capoeira. Although the composition of the orchestra, called bateria, might vary depending on the type of games and circumstances, several different instruments are associated with this art. These include a pandeiro (a tambourine), an agogô (a two-toned bell made out of Brazil nut shells and struck with a wooden stick), an atabaque (a large drum), and the most important instrument: a berimbau, used alongside a caxixi (a woven rattle, traditionally filled with seeds called Lágrimas de Nossa Senhora). The berimbau is a musical bow, a simple string instrument, made out of a wooden pole, a singular metal cord, and a resonator made out of a hollowed-out gourd, a cabaça. There are three distinct types of berimbaus – viola, médio, and gunga – each one producing a different quality of sound and fulfilling a distinct role in the bateria.
Once a group of capoeiristas gathers to play, the game begins. The bateria plays one of the many rhythms as two players enter a circle called roda, formed by all the practitioners. They engage in a complex show of attacks and defenses, intertwined with acrobatics and performed to the rhythm of the music. Meanwhile, the viewers clap and sing cantigas, which can focus on a multifariousness of topics, such as the African heritage of the art, the history of slavery in Brazil, legendary heroes and mestres, like Besouro Mangangá or Zumbi dos Palmares, or tributes to different capoeira groups. The songs are performed in Portuguese and often include words of African origin. The verses are sung by the person leading the bateria, usually a mestre or one of the jogadores with the highest level of experience, while the players repeat the chorus.
For the players, capoeira is much more than a martial art and definitely so much more than a game. It is a type of “therapy” that leads to all-around growth and self-improvement. It is a way to escape the daily hardships and struggles. It may even provide salvation whenever we feel lonely and hopeless. It allows a person to become an integral part of a family. For those who have been practicing capoeira for decades, it’s nothing short of a way of life.
Even though the styles of playing may emphasize distinct elements, capoeira invariably values unity and amizade, or friendship, between its practitioners. The groups arrange open events which attract players from different organizations, cities, or even countries. Physical training and musical lessons are just as important as spectacular games between capoeiristas, The goal is not only showing off some impressive skills, but also simply having fun with friends. And for those who would prefer not to enter the circle – it is nonetheless an exhilarating performance to watch!
