Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
Martial Arts Of The World - Webs Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
An acrobatic kick from a one-handed handstand, a signature move of capoeira, November 14, 1996. (Julie Lemberger/Corbis) 64 Capoeira Songs involving a leader-andresponse pattern are sung during play. The words of these songs embody, to take a few examples, comments on capoeira in general, insults directed toward various types of styles of play or types of players, and biographical allusions to famous capoeiristas. The sense of capoeira as a dance is established by this musical frame for the action and completed by the movements taking place within the roda. The basic stance of capoeira places one foot forward in a lunging move with the corresponding hand forward and the other hand back. There is, however, considerable variety in the execution of the stance (both between individual players and between the Regional and the Angola traditions), and stances rapidly shift, with feet alternating in time to the tempo of the musical accompaniment in a dancelike action called a ginga. The techniques of capoeira rely heavily on kicks, many of them embodied in spectacular cartwheels, somersaults, and handstands. Players move from aerial techniques to low squatting postures accompanied by sweeps or tripping moves. Evasion rather than blocking is used for defense. Head-butts and hand strikes (using the open hand) complete the unarmed arsenal of the capoeirista. Again, there is a distinction between Angola and Regional, with the former relying more on low kicks, sweeps, and trips, played to a slower rhythm. As an armed fighting art, capoeira has incorporated techniques for the use of paired short sticks and bladed weapons (particularly straight razors, knives, and machetes). Even in those cases in which the art has moved from the streets to the training hall, training in weapons remains in the curriculum in forms such as maculêlê, which entails a rhythmic clash of short sticks while performing a dancelike action. In the 1970s capoeira spread to the United States. Mestres Jelon Viera and Loremil Machado brought the art to New York in 1975, and by 1979 Bira Almeida began teaching in California. Other mestres from both major traditions followed suit—for example Mestre Cobra Mansa (Cinezio Feliciano Pecanha) of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation in Washington, D.C., who visited and eventually moved to the United States in the
early 1990s. By the late 1990s capoeira had developed an international following. The popularity of the art has been fostered by its inclusion in Hollywood films such as The Quest, Mortal Kombat II, and especially Only the Strong, with its capoeira mestre protagonist. Capoeira has even appeared recently in video game formats, played, for example, by the character of Eddie Gordo in “Tekken III.” Thomas A. Green See also Africa and African America; Political Conflict and the Martial Arts References Almeida, Bira. 1986. Capoeira: A Brazilian Art Form. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Capoeira Angola. n.d. Washington, DC: International Capoeira Angola Foundation. Capoeira, Nestor. 1995. The Little Capoeira Book. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Lewis, J. Lowell. 1992. Ring of Liberation: Deceptive Discourse in Brazilian Capoeira. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Thompson, Robert Farris. 1988. “Tough Guys Do Dance.” Rolling Stone, March 24, 135–140. Chi See Ki/Qi China In early times, a number of terms were used to describe Chinese martial arts, which are now known as wushu. The term jiangwu (teach military matters) was a comprehensive concept comprising training in general and martial arts in particular. In the state of Zhou (475–221 B.C.), jiangwu took place during the winter, while farming occupied the other three seasons. The term jiji (attack, skilled striking) was used in reference to the troops of the state of Qi (a state that occupied much of the present province of Shandong between 480 and 221 B.C.). Some have claimed that this term refers to boxing, but it more likely refers to individual hand-to-hand combat, both bare-handed and with weapons. The Han History Bibliographies of ca. A.D. 90 (Gu 1987, 205) use the term bing jiqiao (military skills). For at least the last seven centuries, the Chinese martial arts have been primarily called wuyi, which translates directly into “martial arts” in English, and reflects skills associated with the profession of arms in Chinese. An exception is the term gongci zhi shu (attack and stabbing skills), used to describe the martial arts practices prohibited under Mongol rule. During the Qing period (1644–1911), the term quanbang (boxing and staff) was also commonly used by the Manchu regime to describe popular Han Chinese martial arts practices (group practice outside the military, primarily among China 65
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early 1990s. By the late 1990s capoeira had developed an international following.<br />
<strong>The</strong> popularity of the art has been fostered by its inclusion in Hollywood<br />
films such as <strong>The</strong> Quest, Mortal Kombat II, and especially Only<br />
the Strong, with its capoeira mestre protagonist. Capoeira has even appeared<br />
recently in video game formats, played, for example, by the character<br />
of Eddie Gordo in “Tekken III.”<br />
Thomas A. Green<br />
See also Africa and African America; Political Conflict and the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
References<br />
Almeida, Bira. 1986. Capoeira: A Brazilian Art Form. Berkeley, CA: North<br />
Atlantic Books.<br />
Capoeira Angola. n.d. Washington, DC: International Capoeira Angola<br />
Foundation.<br />
Capoeira, Nestor. 1995. <strong>The</strong> Little Capoeira Book. Berkeley, CA: North<br />
Atlantic Books.<br />
Lewis, J. Lowell. 1992. Ring of Liberation: Deceptive Discourse in Brazilian<br />
Capoeira. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.<br />
Thompson, Robert Farris. 1988. “Tough Guys Do Dance.” Rolling Stone,<br />
March 24, 135–140.<br />
Chi<br />
See Ki/Qi<br />
China<br />
In early times, a number of terms were used to describe Chinese martial<br />
arts, which are now known as wushu. <strong>The</strong> term jiangwu (teach military<br />
matters) was a comprehensive concept comprising training in general and<br />
martial arts in particular. In the state of Zhou (475–221 B.C.), jiangwu took<br />
place during the winter, while farming occupied the other three seasons.<br />
<strong>The</strong> term jiji (attack, skilled striking) was used in reference to the troops of<br />
the state of Qi (a state that occupied much of the present province of Shandong<br />
between 480 and 221 B.C.). Some have claimed that this term refers<br />
to boxing, but it more likely refers to individual hand-to-hand combat,<br />
both bare-handed and with weapons. <strong>The</strong> Han History Bibliographies of<br />
ca. A.D. 90 (Gu 1987, 205) use the term bing jiqiao (military skills).<br />
For at least the last seven centuries, the Chinese martial arts have been<br />
primarily called wuyi, which translates directly into “martial arts” in English,<br />
and reflects skills associated with the profession of arms in Chinese.<br />
An exception is the term gongci zhi shu (attack and stabbing skills), used to<br />
describe the martial arts practices prohibited under Mongol rule. During the<br />
Qing period (1644–1911), the term quanbang (boxing and staff) was also<br />
commonly used by the Manchu regime to describe popular Han Chinese<br />
martial arts practices (group practice outside the military, primarily among<br />
China 65
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