Wheres the Roda-Understanding Capoeira Culture in an American
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WHERE’S THE RODA?: UNDERSTANDING CAPOEIRA CULTURE IN AN AMERICAN CONTEXT Ashley Humphrey A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC December 2018 Committee: Kara Attrep, Advisor Megan Rancier © 2014 Ashley Humphrey All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Kara Attrep, Advisor The Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira has become an increasingly popular sport in the United States. Capoeira performances consist of a back-and-forth exchange of movements between two players in conjunction with a musical ensemble to accompany the physical display. Since the introduction of capoeira in the United States in the 1970s, capoeira has become the focus of various social institutions. The objective of this thesis is to acknowledge and problematize the impact American culture has made on capoeira aesthetics. The methods for this thesis included research in the fields of ethnomusicology, anthropology, post-colonial theory, and transatlantic studies. Fieldwork was conducted to acquire first hand accounts of capoeira practitioners from the Michigan Center for Capoeira. Lastly, an analysis of the portrayal of capoeira in the media examines how capoeira is showcased to audiences in the United States. Historical accounts, academic discourse, capoeira practitioners, and popular culture reveal how American culture has received capoeira. My research has shown that capoeira culture is represented and interpreted by various groups, such as scholars, American capoeira academies, and the media. These different interpretations have resulted in the displacement, fragmentation, or misrepresentation of capoeira history in the context of American culture. ' I conclude that dominant social structures have inherently changed how capoeira is discussed in academia, practiced in American academies, and portrayed in the media. Dominant social structures in the United States favor product over process. For capoeira, valuing product over process means highlighting performance and devaluing various Afro-diasporic rituals and practices. My solution to avoid fragmentation and misinterpretation of capoeira culture is to reiterate the importance of the African diaspora to practicing capoeira students in the United States. Acknowledging American capoeiristas as capoeira ambassadors will regulate how non-practitioners depict and discuss capoeira, which will result in a holistic representation of the sport. ' To my mother, Audrey, for her unconditional love and support. ' ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the exceptional ethnomusicology faculty at Bowling Green State University for their expertise, knowledge, and encouragement- especially Dr. Megan Rancier and Dr. Sidra Lawrence. A special thanks to Dr. Kara Attrep for her guidance during my time at BGSU and throughout this project. Lastly, I would like to thank my first capoeira family - Baz Michaeli and the students of The Michigan Center for Capoeira. ' TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION................................................................. ......................................................................5 .................. CHAPTER I. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................... ....................................................................7 Ethnomusicological Literature on Brazil and ..................Capoeira..................................................................7 Popular Capoeira Literature.....................................................................................................................; Brazilian History and Culture..................................................................................................................; Brazilian Popular Music Studies............................................................................................................< Trans-Atlantic Studies, The African Diaspora, and Postcolonial Theory.................................= CHAPTER II. A BRIEF HISTORY OF CAPOEIRA...................................... ............................55 Brazilian Slavery- Conditions that Birthed Capoeira..................................................................................... 55 Origins of Capoeira..................................................................................................................................56 The Suppression Period..........................................................................................................................5< The Birth of The Academy- Capoeira and Brazilian Nationalism...........................................65 Hearing Subaltern Voices in the Capoeira Metanarrative...........................................................67 CHAPTER III. AN AMERICAN ACADEMY: THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CAPOEIRA.................................................................................. ..............................................................6< Assuming the Role of the Researcher.................................................................................................................. 6< Foundations of The Michigan Center for Capoeira.......................................................................6< TMCC Locations and Audiences........................................................................................................6= Baz Michaeli-Founder and Instructor................................................................................................74 TMCC Training Sessions: Atmosphere and Practice...................................................................7; The Students of TMCC...........................................................................................................................87 ' Musical Identity and TMCC: Folk Music and New Techniques.............................................89 Reconciling A Shifting Folk Practice, part I....................................................................................8: Spirituality and Axé.................................................................................................................................94 Reconciling a Shifting Folk Practice, pt. II......................................................................................97 CHAPTER IV. CAPOEIRA IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE................... ..............9; Capoeira In Film: Only the Strong and Oceans Twelve................................................................................ 9; Capoeira in the Virtual World..............................................................................................................:8 Capoeira in Popular Music....................................................................................................................:< Capoeira in Cartoons...............................................................................................................................;5 CONCLUSION..................................................... ..................................... ...............................................;9 ................. BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................ ....................................................................................;< .................. APPENDIX A: RESERACH REFERENCES............................................. ..................................<5 APPENDIX B: CAPOEIRA SURVEY............................................................................................................................ <: ) LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page Figure 1: Unstrung berimbaus. ................................................................................................... 15 Figure 2: Assembled berimbaus resting against a tree ................................................................ 15 Figure 3: Jogar Capoeira ou Danse de la Guerre by Johann Mortiz Regundas .......................... 16 Figure 4: A still photo of ginga ................................................................................................... 38 Figure 5: Roda diagram from an aerial view. The stars represent members of the batería. The small circles are the additional capoeiristas. The circles in the middle signify the two players actively playing capoeira. ................................................................................ 39 Figure 6: Baz and the batería at TMCC 3rd annual batiazdo. Photo courtesy of The Michigan Center for Capoeira ........................................................................................... 40 5 INTRODUCTION Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that utilizes music and movement simultaneously. Capoeira players, or capoeiristas, have games together inside a roda or circle, which is the stage in which capoeira games take place. The interaction between players is comparable to the interaction of dance partners; with each person contributing their physical talent to the performance. The spectacle of capoeira has always been the most captivating to audiences, while music provided by the batería is often thought of as an accompaniment secondary to the physicality of the sport. While music and movement are at the forefront of capoeira performances, research has and continues to uncover the culmination of rituals that contribute to present day capoeira. Many capoeira practitioners claim the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira contains life parallels. In the roda there are physical challenges, friendships that come and go, and an unwritten rule of self-respect