Capoeira is a brazilian martial art which unites elements of dance, acrobatics, combat and music to a unique and exciting mixture. 2010-01-03
Capoeira has its historical roots in slavery. Between 1500-1888 nearly five million people was taken over the ocean to the “New World”. Brazil which was a Portuguese colony was an important destination for slaves, especially from West-Africa.
The slaves in Brazil were forced to work hard on sugar-plantations, coffee-plantations, in mines or in the slave-owner’s huge houses and were treated badly.
When the slaves had the opportunity, they found a Capoeira – a grassy field and gathered there to disengage, dance and sing together. When they had the chance they did some training too, but when the slave-owners or their employees were near, they were not able to battle; it had to be seemed as they were playing or only dancing. Capoeira become the mixture of music, dance and combat that come into being from the encounter of the different African ethnical groups during slavery.
Music is essential part of Capoeira. The main instrument is called berimbau, a slaginstrument that has also African roots. Its rhythms determine the way Capoeira game has to go on, whether it has to be slow or fast, playful or more combative.
Slavery ended in Brazil in 1888, but remained several track after this time. When the slaves were liberate, they could nowhere to go, lot of them ended up on the streets in poverty and the land was owned henceforward by the former squatters. After hundred years later Brazil is still one of those countries of the world that has the utmost economical difference between people.
The first performers of Capoeira after liberation were the brutal street gangs which used knives in their combats. Capoeira was forbidden in Brazil until 1937. It was bound with vagrants and trouble-makers for long, but in the thirties a new and modern Capoeira had been started to develop, Capoeira Regional, which was inspired by eastern combat sports both in movement culture and pedagogic. Today Capoeira Regional lives side by side with the more traditional Capoeira Angola. Some of the groups specializes selves in either one or the other form, but others work with both styles or the mixture of these.
Today Capoeira can be found almost everywhere in Brazil and the rest of the world. Grupo União Na Capoeira (GUC) was the first Capoeira group in Norway founded in 1993. In 2002 Mestre Maclau come to Norway and took over the whole Grupo União. Mestre is the highest available grade in Capoeira and Mestre Maclau is the only one in Norway who has this title.
Source: www.guc.no |
