Every time I walk into a room of Capoeiras I get this feeling of profound discomfort. I never worried much about this, because I was pretty quick to attribute it to insecurity or antipathy. But slowly I have come to realise that in reality it is not discomfort, rather a subtle astuteness, or preparedness. Not a distrust of the surroundings and the people, but an understanding that in that moment, things will pass so quickly that a lack of concentration could completely extinguish my importance from that room. “A well-played game of Capoeira is a game of patience”. This, as students, we hear time and time again from various teachers and masters. I don’t disagree. But I think that the “dendê” is missing from this philosophy. Someone with ONLY patience, or TOO much patience will quickly grow deep roots into the floor, making them slow and uninteresting; a tree in the background. Capoeira has kept, as its main foundation, the basest pastime of man; storytelling. And herein lies the true “Pulo do Gato”; that fatal move that is tied to you and only you. The most effective tool we have in Capoeira is our presence, our story. And with every experience, and with every moment lived we hone this instrument. It’s what we see in old mestres, who can no longer do the movements, or even play the instruments, but who are still fatal. They command a room without doing (seemingly) anything. For us who are neither old nor famous nor old and famous, it’s a case of being heard. And when that moment comes, of making sure you have something to say! I think people concentrate too much on ability and talent. They rely too heavily on their capacity to speak louder and quicker then the person standing next to them. In Capoeira, we FARM arrogance and ego, and we supress the natural quietness or shyness of a person. But in the end, EVERYONE gets an opportunity to tell his or her story; an opportunity to shine. However, amongst the noise, and inflated egos, these opportunities are like pixy dust. But, to make an analogy, a well-placed and well-timed “rasteira” can capsize even the biggest, and loudest person in a room. The “dendê” is in the moment.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 19:05:10 +0000