CAPOEIRA CHOREOGRAPHY

Creating a Capoeira show is only limited by your imagination. Regardless your limitations, there is always a way of being able to do something that will make an impact.

So many people worry about getting the best tricks, or focusing on showing ‘something that has never been done before’. From my experience, it is not what you can do, it is in how you present it.

THINK OUTSIDE THE SQUARE
Do some research. Don’t necessarily look soley at Capoeira performances, try and watch dance performances and study the formations. Look at the ways they use their bodies to create a certain effect.

THE DETAILS
It is really all in the details. Don’t settle for near enough is good enough. Fix something that is not working straight away. Every arm movement, every facial expression, every position will make a difference on the overall impression of the show.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
What kind of lighting is there at the performance place? Does the music sync completely with the performance? If you are doing live music, will you use mics? Can you create breaks and changes in the music to give a better flow to the performance?
Are you sure you are meeting your clients exact wishes? Are you keeping integrity in the art? Where did you place the highlights and ‘wow’ factors in the show? Will the audience be able to understand what you are expressing?

Many Capoeira Performances are just rodas. There is nothing wrong with that, but, there are always things that you can do to spruce up the roda to make it more audience friendly. Think about involving the audience in the story you are creating. Try and think about the best things you get out of capoeira and find ways of being able to express this to the audience.

Good luck with your creations! If anyone needs help with a performance or is interested in hiring us for a performance don’t hesitate in contacting me.
chan@soulcapoeira.org

I am really sorry I havent been posting any articles of late. I had my computer stolen whilst I was in LA and am finding it hard to access a computer.
But, there will be more articles, so hold on, they will come!
Lots of Axe!
chan.

Just a few things to pay attention to in the first combination:

1. When I am swinging the left leg around I make sure I rotate it all the way until my bum is facing the partner. (this enables me to not end up facing a different direction).

“bum facing partner”

2. When I go into the queda de rins position, my body and my legs are in an L-shape, this enables me to sweep the legs over a longer range of motion. Otherwise, if I was to begin with my body and my legs straight, All the rotation would have to come from spinning on the palm (which is a lot harder and a different movement).

“L-shape”

3. When my legs are straight with my body, I bend the left leg in and push up off of the left hand. The closer that left foot lands near my hand the easier it is to push out. If I try to rotate my legs past the straight body/leg position, and curve my legs around, I will probably hyperflex my wrist which will be bad and hurt my wrist a lot.
Splitting the legs in the air adds to the illusion and the effect of the movement, the more I can split and have straight legs the better it looks.

“push out position”

4. I do not actually rotate the wrist until I have landed my feet. When I push up and out of the position I rotate my wrist to help take pressure off of it, but whilst in the movement it is not really necessary.

“hand close to knee, wrist rotated”

THE SECOND COMBINATION- Observations:

1. Once I have completed the first queda de rins I push off my right hand and bring it in towards my body. This helps me to roll onto the other side (my right queda).

“Push off the right hand position”

“right hand landed in the right position”

2. Once I am in the right queda position I pay special attention to my right leg. I make sure that it reaches in front of me and around as much as possible. This is really important, and the key for me to be able to push up into my ponte (backbend) whilst still being able to watch and face my partner.

“look how far around I have put my right leg…”

3. Once I am in the ponte, I bring that left hand in towards my body (repositioning the hand) and lower myself onto that queda. From their I can do 2 things. I can choose to lift the left leg and push and jump around with the right, or I can push around off of both legs at the same time. Either way I need to bring that left leg into a crouching position, and land that left foot near my left hand.

If anyone has any questions/queries and or comments please don’t hesitate to ask!

Chan.

Stumble It!

There has been many people from all walks of life walk into soul capoeira, but only a handful who have really stayed through it all. Although people leave Capoeira, I know that Capoeira will never leave them.

Axe!

Imagine, 7,000 people partying and frollicking around in the middle of arid bushland and in the midst of it all a capoeira roda. Combine it with a bit of doof doof music, beautiful vibe, wierd and interesting people and an array of visual delights and you have the rainbow serpent festival. Thousands of people come from everywhere, internationally and nationally, creating and becoming. It is truly a sight to see and something that should be experienced at least once in your lifetime.
Every year for the past five years we have been invited to run demonstrations and workshops at this festival.

In 2006, we decided to invite capoeira instructors from all around and have a big capoeira camp. Simon Le from Canberra, Tanja Samira and Chan Griffin from adelaide, Mestre Luizinho from brisbane, Monitor Lorem, Monitor Futa and Professor Vira Lata from Melbourne and Formado Nanjo and Aki from Japan. We had many workshops and demonstrations it rained it burnt it was windy and dusty, it was rainbow serpent!

One of the most beautiful attributes of capoeira is its ability to adapt. It is in the non-committing, loosely phrased, sneaky way of the brazilian culture that glues the game together.

“Tira de la bota ca, Tira daqui bota li”
Take it from there and put it here, take it from here and put it there…

Capoeira is many things at once

Within its movements interchanging, merging, constantly becoming; capoeira seems to expand and contract, give and receive, question and answer.

Capoeira is who we are

Capoeira is a way I express myself. With all my faults, with all my attributes. Capoeira helps me to be human.

RODA AT MESTRE BOA GENTE”S ACADEMY

This footage is a game I saw in Boa Gente’s Academy in Salvador, Bahia Brazil in 2004.
I love this game so much, because it really epitomises the game of adaptation. I find it so beautiful because they keep the flow and communicate with each other without ever really committing to any one movement. I find adapting is one of the hardest aspects of capoeira to master, but it is one of the most important to try and maintain. If you can learn to adapt, it will resonate into every aspect of your life.

MESTRE BIMBA’S ADVANCED SEQUENCES

This is a clip of my mestre, mestre bamba and Instrutor Toinho doing the cintura desprezada.
There are a few variations you will see around the place, but these are the standard ones that are taught in the academy.
Cintura desprezada traditionally, was only taught to the formados or higher. It was traditionally used to help the capoeirista to understand how to get out of someone trying to throw you.
(it was NOT used to teach people how to get them into holds).

The capoeira itself is free flowing, but it has set sequences that occur within the game. This is like the advanced sequence of mestre bimba. It was used to help the students learn how to fall well, as well as overcome fear in complex situations.

It is to the tune of Iuna. With only one berimbau and two pandeiros.

The rainbow serpent festival is a big music festival out in the middle of nowhere, in beaufort, victoria, australia. Thousands of people come to see the weird mix of people and the doof doof music. Its a great festival with a really nice vibe. We are invited to go and give workshops and demonstrations every year, and have a great time doing them.

I will be posting some segments from the rodas that we had at rainbow serpent festival. So keep checking the site as I will be constantly updating them. Enjoy.

This is a video of one of the instructors from the Associacao de Capoeira Mestre Bimba. Toinho is currently teaching in Russia. I was fortunate enough to train a lot with Toinho whenever I went to Brazil. He was both a good instructor and a good teacher. His style is very beautiful, I would have to say one of the most beautiful styles that have come out of the Associacao. He is a hard hitter, a loyal friend and a good capoeirista. Axe Toinho!

Some footage from the roda after simon le’s and Lagarto’s capoeira workshops. Thanks to Simon Le and Lagarto for coming to adelaide!
I will be adding the footage to this section constantly, so keep checking this page.

SIMON LE and CHAN GRIFFIN