Brazilian Capoeira dances into Leelanau County

By Corin Blust
Sun contributor
The word Capoeira (pronounced KAP-oooo-ERA) can be defined as two separate things in Portuguese. It can refer to a small, remote clearing in a field of grass or sugarcane, or it can mean a style of ritualistic, playful dance that emerged in Brazilian culture during slavery. These two things are connected: the clearing in the field was frequently a place where Capoeiristas practiced their dance, which needed to be held in secret.
But why did it need to be secret? Capoeira is not just a beautiful dance; it was originally a way for oppressed slaves to work toward liberating themselves. By engaging in Capoeira, (in Portuguese to practice Capoeira is said “jogar Capoeira,” or in English “play Capoeira”) the slaves had found an artistic outlet while improving their agility, strength, fighting skills and flexibility — elements that greatly improved their chances of fleeing servitude. “It was a way to build up resistance,” Helio Conceição, the local Capoeira master, tells me in his thick Brazilian accent with a little help from his wife, Alita Townsend. “And also a way of expression for the slaves.” Helio (pronounced EL-IO) teaches a style called Capoeira Urbana, or “Capoeira from the streets,” a form that tries to keep with the original street approach to the dance, at the Leelanau Center for Contemplative Arts (formerly Union/Yoga) in nearby Lake Leelanau.

Since Capoeira was originally a slave activity that carried with it unpleasant connotations of gritty oppression, fear, and violence in Brazilian society, the slave owners had it outlawed. However, it was still practiced by determined members of society; its popularity actually grew in the time of its prohibition.
Capoeira was not made legal again until 1942, when a presentation in front of Brazilian dictator Getulio Vargas caused him to reconsider the taboos surrounding the dance. “When he saw the presentation, he realized that Capoeira was an art and a sport that was practiced by all members of society — doctors, lawyers and street kids. It became a good thing for Brazil,” explains Helio.
Helio began Capoeira with his uncle under a big mango tree in Salvador Bahía, Brazil, when he was “maybe five years old.” When he was ready to begin a formal education in Capoeira, Helio went into the Capoeira Kilombolas School, which unfortunately cost his family seven cruzeros per month, or about two U.S. dollars; an amount that he couldn’t afford.
So, Helio said with a smile, “I paid only the first month, and then I found ways to never pay again.” His determination to practice this art in the face of extreme poverty earned him a scholarship at the first Capoeira academy in the world, Associaco de Capoeira Mestre Bimba in Salvador, Brazil. There, Helio was able to become part of a dedicated community of Capoeiristas that influenced his life in a positive manner. “I have never taken any drugs,” said Helio, “Capoeira kept me healthy, it’s a form of healthy street culture.”
Who should take Capoeira? “All people!” says Helio. It’s an extremely healthy, intensive full-body workout that improves agility, strength, flexibility and precision. The class offered in Lake Leelanau will be strictly for adults, though children’s classes are available in Traverse City at Sacred Space Yoga.
“There was a 72-year-old World War II veteran who came to Brazil every year to practice Capoeira, and he looked 55 because of the art,” Helio and Alita tell me. It’s very good for the body. “You won’t realize how great of a workout you got until the next day,” Alita says.
To play Capoeira, the participants arrange themselves in a circle, called a roda, and players go into the middle of the circle in pairs to dance, fight and show off their moves. This circular construction was once very important to the game because it shielded the inner players from the eyes of the law.
Today the circle is still important because it “keeps the energy focused on the players and in the circle. Everybody feels high from the good energy,” said Alita, who grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan near Empire.
The sound of the berimbau infuses the game with its twangy vibrations. The berimbau is a Brazilian instrument that consists of a length of wire stretched across a bowed piece of wood with a hollowed out gourd facing the player near the lower end of the bow. It is held vertically and it is played by holding a small metal disk against the inside of the wire with one hand while hitting a thin stick on the outside with the other hand.
Erin Abernathy, a musically talented girl who works at Sweeter Song farm in Maple City and got to try Helio’s berimbau “thought the berimbau was a surprisingly challenging instrument to hold and play.” Helio, of course, makes it look effortless.
Other sounds involved in the play of Capoeira are the pandero, a tambourine-like instrument, and the clapping and singing of the participants, which combine to create an energy-packed environment that will revitalize the soul.
Classes are offered at the Leelanau Center for Contemplative Arts in Lake Leelanau from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and are limited to those 15 years and older. Drop-ins cost $15 or $90 for seven weeks. Kids classes are being held in Traverse City at Sacred Space Yoga on Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. The cost is $50 for four weeks. Helio would like to offer more classes, especially for kids, so if you have a time or place that you would like to see a Capoeira class held please email him at serenocapoeira@gmail.com or visit www.capoeiraurbana.org for more information.