African-, Brazilian-influenced martial art combines music, dance and fun

Video

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian influenced martial art that incorporates music as part of the "exercise" or roda. Students take turns in the center of a circle with onlookers singing and playing instruments Watch »

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Linda Colon (left) and Jessica Trombetta move to the music during their Capoeira class at the James Island Recreation Complex.

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Jesse Colon, the instructor for the Capoeira classes at the James Island Recreation Complex, plays the berimbau, which is called "the leader" because its rhythm controls the tempo, mood and energy of the games the participants play.

Capoeira is not just another martial art.

For Jesse Colon, Capoeira instructor at the James Island Recreation Complex, it is a physical journey where the various aspects β€” martial arts, the sport, music and culture β€” fuse to create a meaningful experience appropriate for all ages.

Capoeira is an African- and Brazilian-influenced martial art that Colon explains is deeply steeped in "the history, the language and the Portuguese-African culture, which all meld together to form this sport."

Colon says that Capoeira is different because "it's a game with emphasis on kicking and dodging, movement, head butts, elbows and only a few hand techniques."

Colon explains that Capoeira as it is practiced now is the result of a transformation that took place over the past 500 years. On Brazilian plantations, music and dance were integrated by African slaves to disguise the fighting moves from slave masters and overseers who did not want the sport practiced.

After slavery ended, Capoeira was outlawed and became infamous as a form of hand-to-hand combat used by thieves and vagabonds. But in the 1930s, the sport transformed again to a skill learned in an academy. The sport was no longer just a means of survival. Today, people enjoy it, explore the culture and keep fit.

Because the slaves' wrists were often bound, Capoeira differs from Asian martial arts, which put more emphasis on hand usage.

Two players enter a circle of onlookers and participants, known as a roda (pronounced "hoda"). At the head of the roda are musicians, fellow Capoeira players, who play instruments specific to the art with the tempo of the music dictating the speed of the game.

In Colon's class, there are three major instruments: the berimbau, the atabaque and the pandeiro.

Of African origin, the berimbau is the heart of roda because it is the main voice of the Capoeira game. The berimbau looks like a bow tightly tied with a string or wire with a hollow gourd attached. Where you would expect an arrow, a wooden stick called a baqueta or a stone is used to play the instrument and create an unusual timbre that can range from tones to a buzzing sound.

The atabaque is a large drum similar to the more familiar congo drum. The pandeiro, a Brazilian instrument, is a large version of the tambourine.

The best way to really get a feel for these instruments is to see them firsthand.

"The music is the soul of Capoeira," says Colon. "It's what makes it so different from other martial arts."

Colon's wife, Linda, also practices Capoeira, and the music is one of her favorite parts as well.

"The songs are very traditional," she says. "The use of music has a history. The rhythms would change when it was practiced by the slaves as a code to let everyone know when the overseer was coming."

Along with the music, Capoeira students are given nicknames. Though the nicknames are all in fun these days, they once had a purpose.

Linda says, "The nicknames were given to each Capoeira fighter so that people could not be prosecuted for it when it was illegal in Brazil."

Linda's nickname is her own name, which means "pretty." Jesse's nickname is Queixo, which means "chin."

The names lend to the sense of community that Linda says is so essential.

Timothy Griggs, 14, likes the people most of all.

"Everyone is really friendly," he says.

When he began taking Capoeira, Timothy said he thought, "Wow, this is so much cooler than other martial arts."

"It brings athletic skill and musical rhythm together. That was good for me because I really didn't have any rhythm before I started Capoeira," he said.

Personal development is an important part of the activity. This stems from the survival philosophy of the sport, according to Jesse Colon.

"When the practitioner develops himself to do the tough steps and overcomes the physical hurdles, the experience becomes very personal because essentially, you must train yourself," he said. "The actual sport aspect provides an arena for you to challenge your partner, but at the same time, you challenge yourself."

Linda says that when taking Capoeira, a person should "be prepared to be frustrated, disciplined. There are a lot of challenges. It's a journey, not a promotion. It's a lifestyle."

Part of what is especially different about Capoeira is that "anyone can adapt to play," explained Jesse. "Some masters are 80 years old and still playing Capoeira."

He began learning Capoeira in 1998 in New York City and still studies under his original instructor, Mestre Bom Jesus. When Jesse Colon came to Charleston, there was no existing Capoeira group, so he formed one.

He has been teaching Capoeira himself for five years, and at least once each year he brings his mestre (instructor) to Charleston to visit the James Island class.

Colon's wife has been taking Capoeira since August 1999 in New York City. That's how she and her husband met, but it was the sport itself that attracted her.

"I'm not a gym rat and at the time I was looking for something meaningful to do, and it seemed like more than just working out," she says. "What I liked about it was that I saw women doing it, and the whole thing was just so graceful, interesting and different."

For more information about the group and classes, visit www.capoeiracharleston.com.