i'm writing a paper on capoeira for my philosophy class, and it will really,

really help me if you guys can take the time to answer these questions:

What attracted you most to capoeira? (the fight aspect? or the cultural aspect

-- meaning, the music or the dance-like, non-violent interaction? the

fantastic friends? something else?)


Do you feel you are able to personally relate to this Brazilian art form? How

do you bridge the gap between being a Filipino and embracing this foreign

culture thru the practice of capoeira?


For those who have been to Brazil and have seen capoeira in its native

habitat, do you see any differences in the way capoeira is practiced or

understood or taught here in the Philippines?


Capoeira mestres always say that capoeira is a “way of life”. What does this

mean to you? And if you HAVE embraced it as a way of life, in what way?


Capoeira is said to be a form of expression: during pre-revolution Brazil, it

expressed subversion; afterwards, it expressed nationalism. These days it is

seen as a showcase of Brazilian culture. When you practice capoeira, do you

consider yourself showcasing Brazilian culture? Or do you think there is

something else being expressed in your game?


Capoeira was first introduced to me by Maori. He knew from College that I had

a background in TKD and through random meetings and conversations we would

talk about Martial Arts and how Capoeira has changed his life. The one time

that I was convinced to actually join a class was when I saw a demo in Fete de

la Musique at Podium. The big guy did a cartwheel and I knew that if he could

do it, I could too. I only really wanted to learn to do a cartwheel and kick

people. It sounds so shallow now, but then it naturally snowballed after that,

wanting to do more, try more, read more, learn more etc etc. Meeting fantastic

friends of course was a great help since because of these people, my snowball

kept rolling. I think to know one part of capoeira leads you to want to know

more about another aspect of it.

Being that 'Brazilian martial art', of course hit the twangs of awesome and exotic. It didn't matter to me personally since it's half a mysterious world away and as long as the group wasn't asking for blood sacrifice, it's all good. The cultural references of Capoeira unfolded to me

in the years that I've been training. One thing I notice about the Filipino

culture (myself included: filipino-chinese raised), is the ability to absorb

anything as make it its own. Once change has been accepted, it becomes the

norm. So with our different roots in one land, we change and grow with

Capoeira in our lives. We take what is given and make it ours. We play

Capoeira the filipino way, and I don't mean the infusion of both traditions

into one art... I mean the attitude that we bring, the axe that the filipinos

have (fiesta!), the love and respect for our siblings-in-culture (kabayan!).

We see the similarilities in both cultures and this is what we cultivate in

our practice as capoeiristas. What we nurture as Familia, as axe and good

vibes... the positive elements that bond the two cultures together.

*haven't been to Brazil either*

Capoeira as a way of life: in my opinion is putting into practice what you experience. The subtle things that you discover from the capoeira-culture, (again, the positive notes) is the same attitude you want to discover in yourself. Capoeira is molding me as a person, as much as Art defines my life in what I do. It has taken root and builds me, like the values taught in school that you will never forget. (I'd like to think that this is what Maori meant when he says that Capoeira changed his life.) It is not a separate thing, that we train for 1.5 hours and leave and go on with the rest of our lives, as though nothing ever happened, just stretched a few muscles and broke sweat. After training, during the day, listening to music, seeing a nice open space somewhere... capoeira is there.

For me Capoeira has always been the art aspect of its Martial Art. We aren't just learning kicks and moves and how to fight, we're learning a lifestyle in Brazil, to feel how it is to be Brazilian. I'm going with Pixote's quote of Art as being an expression of oneself. From the outside perspective (I've been one before) Capoeira aptly looks like the exotic Brazilian martial art showcase that it represents. However in the game, in the training, in the practice of this... we are taught to express, to think, to move. This keeps it all as unique as the next people to play in the game. We could always do a routine, but we don't. It's to my understanding that not doing a routine is how we want to show that this is the art of capoeira, not a dance.

Art Pricing

Because starving artists must be a thing of the past. From deviantart's Tanathe http://tanathe.deviantart.com/journal/A-small-talk-about-pricing-your-art-406958041 and from someone called Whatafool http://whatafool.deviantart.com/art/Pricing-Guide-G-A-G-Handbook-168587947