Ghanima Atreides (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
atreideslioness) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2015-06-17 10:10 am
atreideslioness) wrote in fandomhigh2015-06-17 10:10 am
Entry tags:
Physical Education. Wednesday, Period Three
"Once more, and welcome," Ghanima said as people arrived today. Students would find the Danger Shop set up as gymnasium, but with interlocking colored circles outlined on the floor. "Today, we study Capoeira."
"Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music, and is sometimes referred to as a game by the practitioners. It was developed in Brazil mainly by African descendants with native Brazilian influences, probably beginning in the 16th century. It is known for quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for a wide variety of kicks, spins, and highly mobile techniques."
"The most widely accepted origin of the word capoeira comes from the Tupi words ka'a, meaning "jungle", and e pûer -- "it was" -- referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior where fugitive slaves would hide. On 26 November 2014 Capoeira was granted a special protected status as "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO."
"The early history of capoeira is still controversial, especially the period between the 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century, since historical documents were very scarce in Brazil at that time. But oral tradition and evidence leaves little doubt about its African roots. Each group tends to have their own specific views on the history of Capoeira. Those such as Abada and Cordao de Ouro view the art form as a Brazilian art form while certain "angoleiros" such as Mestre Moraes, view the art as purely African. Other groups, such as Senzala de Santos, view the art form as a combination of not only African and Brazilian, but Native American too."
"Capoeira's history probably begins with the beginning of African slavery in Brazil. Since the 17th century, Portuguese colonists began exporting slaves to their colonies, coming mainly from West Africa. Brazil, with its vast territory, received most of the slaves, almost 40% of all slaves sent through the Atlantic Ocean."
"In this environment, capoeira was born as a simple hope of survival. It was a tool with which an escaped slave, completely unequipped, could survive in the hostile, unknown land and face the hunt of the capitães-do-mato, the armed and mounted colonial agents who were charged with finding and capturing escapees."
"Soon several groups of escaping slaves would gather and establish quilombos, primitive settlements in far and hard to reach places. Some quilombos would soon increase in size, attracting more fugitive slaves, Brazilian natives and even Europeans escaping the law or Christian extremism. Some quilombos would grow to an enormous size, becoming a real independent multi-ethnic state. Everyday life in a quilombo offered freedom and the opportunity to revive traditional cultures away from colonial oppression. In this kind of multi-ethnic community, constantly threatened by Portuguese colonial troops, capoeira evolved from a survival tool to a martial art focused on war."
"The biggest quilombo, the Quilombo dos Palmares, consisted of many villages which lasted more than a century, resisting at least 24 small attacks and 18 colonial invasions. Portuguese soldiers sometimes said that it took more than one dragoon to capture a quilombo warrior, since they would defend themselves with a strangely moving fighting technique. The provincial governor declared 'it is harder to defeat a quilombo than the Dutch invaders.'"
"Capoeira nowadays is not only a martial art, but an active exporter of Brazilian culture all over the world. Since the 1970s, capoeira masters began to emigrate and teach it in other countries. Present in many countries on every continent, every year capoeira attracts to Brazil thousands of foreign students and tourists. Foreign capoeiristas work hard to learn Portuguese to better understand and become part of the art. Renowned capoeira masters often teach abroad and establish their own schools. Capoeira presentations, normally theatrical, acrobatic and with little martiality, are common sights around the world."
"The martial art aspect is still present and still disguised, leading many non-practitioners to ignore its presence. Trickery is ever present and expert capoeiristas can even disguise an attack as a friendly gesture. Playing capoeira is both a game and a method of practicing the application of capoeira movements in simulated combat. It can be played anywhere, but it's usually done in a roda. During the game most capoeira moves are used, but capoeiristas usually avoid using punches or elbow strikes unless it's a very aggressive game."
"The game usually does not focus on knocking down or destroying the opponent, rather it emphasizes skill. Capoeiristas often prefer to rely on a takedown like a rasteira, then allowing the opponent to recover and get back into the game. It is also very common to slow down a kick inches before hitting the target, so a capoeirista can enforce superiority without the need of injuring the opponent. If an opponent clearly cannot dodge an attack, there is no reason to complete it. However, between two high-skilled capoeiristas, the game can get much more aggressive and dangerous. Capoeiristas tend to avoid showing this kind of game in presentations or to the general public."
"Today, we're going to learn just a few basic moves," Ghanima said, walking over to the sound system and hitting play so that capoeira music filled the air. "So do whatever warm-up you do to get moving, and we'll dance."
[OOC: OCD is joga capoeira!]
"Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music, and is sometimes referred to as a game by the practitioners. It was developed in Brazil mainly by African descendants with native Brazilian influences, probably beginning in the 16th century. It is known for quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for a wide variety of kicks, spins, and highly mobile techniques."
"The most widely accepted origin of the word capoeira comes from the Tupi words ka'a, meaning "jungle", and e pûer -- "it was" -- referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior where fugitive slaves would hide. On 26 November 2014 Capoeira was granted a special protected status as "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO."
"The early history of capoeira is still controversial, especially the period between the 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century, since historical documents were very scarce in Brazil at that time. But oral tradition and evidence leaves little doubt about its African roots. Each group tends to have their own specific views on the history of Capoeira. Those such as Abada and Cordao de Ouro view the art form as a Brazilian art form while certain "angoleiros" such as Mestre Moraes, view the art as purely African. Other groups, such as Senzala de Santos, view the art form as a combination of not only African and Brazilian, but Native American too."
"Capoeira's history probably begins with the beginning of African slavery in Brazil. Since the 17th century, Portuguese colonists began exporting slaves to their colonies, coming mainly from West Africa. Brazil, with its vast territory, received most of the slaves, almost 40% of all slaves sent through the Atlantic Ocean."
"In this environment, capoeira was born as a simple hope of survival. It was a tool with which an escaped slave, completely unequipped, could survive in the hostile, unknown land and face the hunt of the capitães-do-mato, the armed and mounted colonial agents who were charged with finding and capturing escapees."
"Soon several groups of escaping slaves would gather and establish quilombos, primitive settlements in far and hard to reach places. Some quilombos would soon increase in size, attracting more fugitive slaves, Brazilian natives and even Europeans escaping the law or Christian extremism. Some quilombos would grow to an enormous size, becoming a real independent multi-ethnic state. Everyday life in a quilombo offered freedom and the opportunity to revive traditional cultures away from colonial oppression. In this kind of multi-ethnic community, constantly threatened by Portuguese colonial troops, capoeira evolved from a survival tool to a martial art focused on war."
"The biggest quilombo, the Quilombo dos Palmares, consisted of many villages which lasted more than a century, resisting at least 24 small attacks and 18 colonial invasions. Portuguese soldiers sometimes said that it took more than one dragoon to capture a quilombo warrior, since they would defend themselves with a strangely moving fighting technique. The provincial governor declared 'it is harder to defeat a quilombo than the Dutch invaders.'"
"Capoeira nowadays is not only a martial art, but an active exporter of Brazilian culture all over the world. Since the 1970s, capoeira masters began to emigrate and teach it in other countries. Present in many countries on every continent, every year capoeira attracts to Brazil thousands of foreign students and tourists. Foreign capoeiristas work hard to learn Portuguese to better understand and become part of the art. Renowned capoeira masters often teach abroad and establish their own schools. Capoeira presentations, normally theatrical, acrobatic and with little martiality, are common sights around the world."
"The martial art aspect is still present and still disguised, leading many non-practitioners to ignore its presence. Trickery is ever present and expert capoeiristas can even disguise an attack as a friendly gesture. Playing capoeira is both a game and a method of practicing the application of capoeira movements in simulated combat. It can be played anywhere, but it's usually done in a roda. During the game most capoeira moves are used, but capoeiristas usually avoid using punches or elbow strikes unless it's a very aggressive game."
"The game usually does not focus on knocking down or destroying the opponent, rather it emphasizes skill. Capoeiristas often prefer to rely on a takedown like a rasteira, then allowing the opponent to recover and get back into the game. It is also very common to slow down a kick inches before hitting the target, so a capoeirista can enforce superiority without the need of injuring the opponent. If an opponent clearly cannot dodge an attack, there is no reason to complete it. However, between two high-skilled capoeiristas, the game can get much more aggressive and dangerous. Capoeiristas tend to avoid showing this kind of game in presentations or to the general public."
"Today, we're going to learn just a few basic moves," Ghanima said, walking over to the sound system and hitting play so that capoeira music filled the air. "So do whatever warm-up you do to get moving, and we'll dance."
[OOC: OCD is joga capoeira!]
Joga Capoeira: The Ginga
"Ginga de dos" by Djino - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.