6th
March 2008
Dear LUTSF
Please find
enclosed a copy of my completed report following my research trip in
My training involved studying with Capoeira Mestres at 3 large
international Capoeria events as well undertaking
regular training sessions with Mestres in
The three main
events I attended were:
Capoeirance ,
Caporando Ilheus 10-13 January
Festival
International Capoeiragem CTE in
Capoeirance involved 5 days of approximately 8 hours
training a day in 34 degrees of heat. Each class was led by a different Mestre of international acclaim and included
Caporando involved 4 days of intensive classes each
led by different internationally acclaimed masters. The location of the event
being next to a large flat beach, meant there were also lots of opportunities
for trying out acrobatic moves on the soft sand. as
well as participating and recording numerous games. There were master classes
for the masters that we were able to watch as well as performances and
discussions.
Festival International Capoeiragem
consisted of a program of workshops again led by internationally reputed
masters as well as a performance that I took part in, a capoeira
procession for the Salvador Carnival as well as a programme of historical tours
and talks on the history of Capoeira. This was
particularly interesting to put the history into context as well as visiting a
number of Capoeira academies training in a range of
styles.
The Ginga Mundo community festival was interesting as all walks of the community took part including the children that live on
the streets as they were free to all. This emphasized the inclusive and
community aspect of Capoeira.
I undertook
regular sessions with Mestre Jogo de Dentro at his academy in
After the four weeks training, I spent a further week
documenting Carnival music and dance. This will be particularly useful
reference material for my work as a Cultural Arts Practitioner in delivering
percussion workshops such as Samba drumming.
This project has provided me an invaluable
opportunity to study with some of the most internationally respected Mestres as well as creating a resource of moves on video to
use for choreographic purposes. My skills as a capoeirista
have improved dramatically and I have been greatly inspired by what I have seen
and learnt. I hope that this will help to enhance my group Cordao
de Nottingham with Contra Mestre Papa Leguas in
It was a real
insight to see how other academies train as well as being exposed to the
different styles and legendary figures in the Capoeira
world. In my report I have listed some of the observations I have made.
In addition to this, I am keen to explore all of
these ideas and integrate them into a new Salsa choreography which I plan to do
over the next few months. This will
involve working with a team of mixed professional and community dancers to
explore ways of integrating the two styles and putting a piece together to
perform at a joint Salsa/ Capoeria event.
The only downside of the project was that the
economic situation changed dramatically due to the success of Bio fuel which
could not have been forecast as well as the increased costs of travel and
accommodation linked to the period of Carnival. As a result, the research into
the costs and budgeting of the trip meant that the actual costs were far
higher. I was faced with the dilemma of curtailing the trip / missing parts of
the project or accepting the debts and making the most of the opportunity
whilst I was there which is what I decided to do.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for enabling me to undertake this inspirational development project that will
have a long lasting impact on my future work.
Yours sincerely
Nikki Kemp
Nikki Kemp
Research and Training in Capoeira
-Brazilian music and dance
The research and
training project that I undertook involved 4 weeks of intensive training,
research and documentation with groups and masters of different styles of Capoeira, dance and music in different regions of
I changed my original dates to coincide with 2 large-
scale international Capoeira events that I discovered
to be taking place in January 2008. This meant that I was able to observe,
document and train with a total of 26 of the most respected international Mestres from the world of Capoeira
which was an unmissable opportunity. I also attended
regular training with specific Mestres as well as
attending an additional Contemporary Capoeira event
with Mestre Balao in
The three main
events I attended were:
Capoeirance ,
Caporando Ilheus 10-13 January
Festival
International Capoeiragem CTE in
In addition to
these, I undertook regular classes with Mestre Jogo
de Dentro in
The end of my training coincided with the world
renowned Carnival, so I was additionally able to document regional styles of
music and dance. The theme for the 2008 Salvador Carnival was Capoeira, which meant there were many Capoeira
groups performing that I was invited to join in with. The regional variations
of the music and dance; Maracatu, Samba Reggae and Batucada, were particularly interesting to me and this
provided me with a resource of ideas to use in my future work as a workshop
facilitator in Samba and world percussion and dance.
By
attending these large scale Capoeiria events, it
enabled me to learn more about the history and diversity of styles as well as
developing an understanding for the inclusive social and community aspects as
well as learning
and documenting a vast directory of moves.
I have included a list of the Mestres
I trained with at the end of this report.
I was struck by the commitment and respect involved
between a master and their students and the strength of the Capoeira
community in providing a supportive global network. It has only recently been
openly celebrated by the Brazilian government after many years of banning the
practice of Capoeira. However, now it is recognised
and celebrated throughout the country and has become a symbol of Brazilian
identity now being practiced throughout the world.
By attending the large scale international events, I
became aware of the strong, supportive network that has been established for Capoeriistas globally as well as the deep respect for the Mestres from their students. There were discussions and
seminars such as ‘the evolution of Capoeira’ and ‘how
to develop Capoeira in the future without losing its
identity’ as well as presentations on how people are using it to work with
people with disabilities, young offenders and disadvantaged groups to create
community cohesion.
As part of the process of understanding how people
with disabilities have been learning capoeira, we
were encouraged to play as if we were missing various limbs. This was
particularly insightful as it encouraged a more creative way of playing and
adapting to the restrictions imposed such as putting emphasis on other parts of
the body to maintain the expression and fundamental identity of Capoeira.
There are 2 distinctive styles of Capoeira
from which all the other styles have derived. These are:
Regional; fast, upright with lots of high kicks, and
The group Cordao de Ouro that I train with
combines both of these styles along with acrobatics and is called Contemporary
Capoeira.
I undertook a number of training sessions in each of
the above styles. This also included learning the songs and accompanying
instruments as well as other related art forms such as Maculele
and Samba de Roda .
The most important part of playing Capoeira is to absorb the spirit of the music and songs and
interpret it in your game as well as respecting the Berimbau-
a one stringed instrument with a resonating gourd. The player of the Berimbau and the instrument itself are highly respected and
can dictate and control the game. Capoeira was born
out of slavery in the 16th Century in
Each style is accompanied by a bateria
of instruments according to the style of the game:
Angola- Reco Reco, Agogo, 2 Pandeiros, 3 Berimbaus, atabaque
Regional- 1 Berimbau, 2 Pandeiro, clapping
Capoeira, along with the practice of Candomble (a religious practice involving worship of
African gods) and Samba music (using African rhythms), was out-ruled by the Braziilian government for many years and has only recently
been accepted and recognised as central to Brazilian culture.
In addition to the Capoeira,
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in related Afro-Brazilian
dance sessions including Maculele, Samba and Axe.
Music and dance
are an integral part of Brazilian culture and I was constantly surrounded by
inspirational examples that I documented on video.
The end of my training also coincided with the
infamous Brazilian Carnival and I was invited to join a Capoeira
procession in
I managed to document numerous Capoeira
games of different styles on video as well as a range of Afro-Brazilian dance
and music styles. All of this has been truly inspirational and will certainly
provide an excellent resource to develop new ideas for choreography which I
plan to explore with my group in the next few months.
Compiling the
knowledge
Capoeira has a discipline of its own and the strength,
knowledge and skills involved require many years of dedicated training to
achieve even simple results, In my opinion, the three dimensional quality of
the movement often involving balancing upside down on hands is akin to break
dancing and is not something that can be easily learnt overnight. It is
improvised, although I did see some fixed choreographed sequences in some of
the group performances.
Salsa dance is more accessible and tangible to the
unacquainted as a learning process, aided by the fact that most of the time you
are vertical and does not require years of physical strength training to
achieve even basic moves. To achieve the results that I am interested in
combining Capoeira and Salsa as freestyle elements
would require working with people that have the skills and knowledge of both
distinct art forms. In the region where
I am based, this would be particularly difficult. However, I aim to use the
community dance group that I am currently working with, to experiment with
integrating specific areas of choreography drawn from my research that would be
more achievable. At a later date, I would like to try to approach the project
working with Capoeiristas or ideally people with a
sound knowledge of both styles.
Cuban Salsa uses the
Intricate
footwork based on a common pattern both of which can fit into a 4 beat pattern
Strong sense of
centre, balance and coordination required.
Dancing/ playing
in pairs
Improvised
movement and response between 2 people is essential
Responding to and
interpreting music
The learning
process involves learning set sequences which later encourage free improvised
movements.
The expressive
use of the whole body
Interaction and
response between 2 people
Awareness of each
others positioning at all times
Cuban style salsa
and Capoeira both work in the round
Playful
Origins include
elements of African culture in the movement and music
In the
Purists would
consider certain adaptations or integrations of new movements to be breaking
the ‘tradition’. However, contemporary Capoeira
integrates a range of styles and encourages a more experimental approach.
Salsa, being a social dance style that has evolved organically rather than
being taught in academies, has absorbed a range of influences, highly energetic
and aerobic. Both styles involve learning set movements that the players then
have to piece together themselves and improvise to play out of their opponent's
way. It’s a fun activity played one on one, and to music.
Both styles have
a fun, playful element and a mass appeal.
Capoeria includes all levels from standing to the floor as
well as being vertical and upside down using the hands to move around, on a
line and circling over and under each other. Although Regional style is
generally more vertical it may also involve some ‘escapes’ to the floor or
crouching.
Salsa (Cuban
style) works in a round, mainly standing – 1 level, and the dancers are always
vertical, never upside down. Cuban Salsa footwork is directly related to a beat
or pulse or a division of this in the music. Capoeira
responds to the music but the rhythm does not dictate the movement of the feet.
In Capoeira, girls can play boys and vice versa. The
interaction is literally moving art. Salsa is traditionally considered a sexual
and sensual dance between a male and female partner, females would sometimes
dance together but only recently in less machismo areas, male couples will
dance together.
Capoeira was traditionally played by men (the slaves
practicing fighting techniques) before becoming formalised with the
introduction of the academies where it became more common for women to take
part. Origins of Salsa come from a fusion of dance styles and rhythms. Origins
of Capoeira come from disguising a fight as a dance
primarily and it has evolved into being more of a dance (non contact). Capoeiristas usually study under one master and stay within
a particular ‘school’ or discipline. Salsa pupils may study with a particular
tutor but this is co-incidental rather than authorative
As a personal development programme, this project has
enabled me to undertake training with a wealth of highly respected masters and
therefore my own playing skills have improved tremendously which will hopefully
benefit the group Cordao de Ouro
that I currently train with in
The documentation videos will provide a wealth of
resource and inspiration for other capoeiristas and
my future work both as a Capoeirista and Salsa
dancer, performer and musician. In addition to greatly deepening my knowledge
of Capoeria as an art form, it has enabled me to network
with other artists and teachers from groups across the world and Mestre Jogo de Dentro whom I
studied with in Salvador, has been invited to the UK to lead some training with
my Capoeria group in April.
The only negative aspect of the trip was financial.
Brazilian currency and the economy had increased dramatically since I made the
initial enquiries of costs for travel and accommodation. Prices always
fluctuate around the period of carnival and bearing this in mind, I had asked
for estimates of price increases in the high season for accommodation and
travel. However, the actual costs were far above these and therefore it meant
that I accumulated a large debt as a result of undertaking the training. I was
left with the option of curtailing the trip and opting out of the various
training events which would have defeated the purpose of the trip. I decided to
persevere and immerse myself in all the surrounding opportunities and face the
consequences on return.
I am extremely inspired by this trip and am looking
forward to exploring and working through these ideas in the near future and I
am very grateful to LUTSF for enabling me to undertake this inspirational
project.
.
Mestre Palao
Mestre Poncaino
Mestre Indio
Mestre Brasileiro
Mestre Deputado
Mestre Balon
Benguela
Mestre Irini,
Mestre Suasuna
Caparando- Ilheus
Mestre Jogo de Dentro
Mestre Balao
Mestre Poncianiel
Mestre Virgilio
Mestre Medicina
Mestre Claudio
Mestre Spirro Mirrim
Mestre Pequeno
Mestre Jao Grande
Mestre Xicoche
Mestre Xangando
Mestre Onca
Mestre Xiu Xiu
Contra Mestre Papa Leguas
Contra Mestre Casquinha
Contra Mestre Parenche
Contra Mestre Papa Legu