Obsessed with Brazil? Me? Perish the thought. I just think martial arts are cool. I'm shallow like that.
From Capoeira Arts' History of Capoeira:
Capoeira is an art form that involves movement, music, and elements of practical philosophy. One experiences the essence of capoeira by "playing" a physical game called jogo de capoeira (game of capoeira) or simply jogo. During this ritualized combat, two capoeiristas (players of capoeira) exchange movements of attack and defense in a constant flow while observing rituals and proper manners of the art. Both players attempt to control the space by confusing the opponent with feints and deceptive moves. During the jogo, the capoeiristas explore their strengths and weaknesses, fears and fatigue in a sometimes frustrating, but nevertheless enjoyable, challenging and constant process of personal expression, self-reflection and growth.
Ok, that's more vague description than history. Unfortunately, the history is vague as well.
Most of the questions related to the formative period of the art still remain unanswered. When, how, and why did capoeira emerge in Brazil? From what specific cultural groups did it come, and from which original art forms did it derive? The difficulty in answering these questions resides in the lack of written registers of capoeira and in the absence of an oral tradition that reaches as far back as the pre-dawn of the art. Also, the unclear Europeans' notion of cultural and geographic boundaries of the African territories at the beginning of Portugal's colonial enterprises, as well as the mixing of Africans from different tribes in the same work areas in Brazil, increase our uncertainties.
Supposedly, I can take classes here in Minnesota, but have long since learned not to rely too heavily on info found on the web. And emailing someone or picking up the phone are obviously out of the question. This would require some measure of social skills, after all.
First heard about the art on a PBS documentary, which suggested that the slaves made it look like dancing to keep their masters from getting suspicious. Initially, they showed slow, graceful movements of several people practicing, then cut to an actual fight. Graceful? Yes. Slow? I wish I'd taped it so I could go through frame-by-frame, and I'd probably still miss things.
And the overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. have never even heard of it, and snicker gently when you describe it as Afro-Brazilian martial arts. Because, y'know, niggers ain't have stuff like that.
Good reason to learn it. To demonstrate on those sorts of people.
Want to know more? CAPOEIRA.COM "is a portal-type site with resources covering a wide variety of Capoeira-oriented topics." There's also a Google Directory category, although I've not tried all the links. However, one of them, iCapoeira.net, features
photos from [Nokia Mobile Phones'] Capoeira ad campaign featuring iCapoeira.net editor, Scott Miller and Swimsuit Model, Shakara Ledard.
I mentioned the shallow thing, right?
They'd probably know what it was if you explained to them that there's a Tekken character whose moves are based on it, y'know.
I did not know that. Or had forgotten. Thanks.
Your solution doesn't allow for violence, though. Unless it's playing Tekken, and I suck.
Can I use Dead or Alive as an example instead? Bitch Magazine's Love It or Shove It to the contrary, nothing drives home the sexism in the videogame industry like that game's major selling point. Points.
Well, I guess they're actually spheres. . .
Yeah, it's Eddie. My husband always kicks my ass with him -- it's the hardest style to beat in Tekken 3, not counting all of the really overpowered characters at the end of the story that you can eventually play.
There can be violence anyway. Eddie's a lovely stereotypical game character of the highest order.
Meh. Yeah. Thanks for remind me why I quit playing fighting games and started playing the Oddworld games instead.
Sorry. Uncontrollable pet-peeve-hitting mutant power.
Found an article on Eddie Gordo, which I guess I could add to the actual entry. . .
Are there black characters in Japanese games that aren't stereotypes? No matter how hard I try, I've been unable to kill Barrett in Final Fantasy VII.
Oddworld? You ain't one of them X-Box types, is you?
dude, been having many, MANY dancer friends into capoeira for decades it seems. mainly in california. huge community doing it in san francisco. serious multiculti scene (as usual). invariably people into the capoeira are also radical politically...hmmm wonder why
speaking of brazil, was recently getting down (indeed) to sepultura, specifically "we who are not as others" off of chaos a.d., and thought of you.
Well, no, but all the women are stereotypes, too. They're either innocent little girls, sultry sluts, kick-ass butches, wise old women, or some combination thereof.
No, I'm not one of those X-Box freaks. I'm still too broke to afford any of these fancy-schmancy new machines. It comes with having a toddler, I suppose. We're the sort who buy all the old PS1 games out of the bargain bin & are currently working on the old Oddworld games. I'm more of a puzzle-game fan than anything else.
VASpider, I think I've played more Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble than anything on my PS1. Which includes at least one of those stereotypes you mentioned, come to think of it. No escape, it seems.
Jim, I tend to forget that California is part of the U.S. They do things different out there. Is Reagan dead yet, by the way? Could anyone tell?
discussion of Martial Arts