Dance Movement Unit 2- Brazil

Capoeira:

- Based on martial art from African Congo and Angola regions - The roda or ring is the basic model for a capoeira match - Is a strategic blending of fighting and dance.

what do samba schools engage in

- Fund-raising - Rehearsing - Making costumes - Rehearsing the bateria - Samba schools create enormous floats, have musical groups and groups of dancers dressed in elaborate costumes

timeline of samba music

1900 - Gramaphone records became available 1902 - Baian Casa Edison recorded the first Brazilian song (it sold one million copies by 1912!) 1907 - The samba song, "Delightful Myrtle" was introduced. Hilario Jovino was the composer. "Aunt Ciata" hosted parties, candomblé sessions, samba sessions at her home in a middle-class black neighborhood, "Little Africa". 1923 - The first Brazilian radio station went on air. The Samba Era paralleled the Jazz Age in the U.S.; popularity of Afro-Brazilian culture legitimized Black presence in Rio de Janeiro's Carnival procession. 1928 - Members of Sao Carlos favela created the first Samba School, named "Let Them Talk" (c. 1928); Manguera samba school founded 1930 - 5 samba schools in competition 1932 - 19 samba schools competed

YORUBA DEITY- Yemanjá

African Divine Mother Goddess of Mankind and Goddess of the Sea, catholic saint Mary

Baianas

Baianas are"daughters of saints"

At Carnival, the Samba Schools who participate in the parade through the Sambadrome are judged according to stated criteria. The criteria includes:

Bateria -- rhythm section Samba-enredo (poetry of the song) Harmonia - Visual unity- Synchronism between music and singing as baseline for dancing Evalução -- Timing, fluency, spontaneity, vigor Enredo -- central theme

Berimbau

Berimbau -- single string bowed instrument with resonant gourd attached - To play the berimbau, requires a stick to strike the wire, a stone or a coin to hold against the wire and one or more caxixi. - Moving the gourd back and forth, and changing the position of the coin allows you to create slides between the different notes. The berimbau is also a great instrument to experiment with.

Why is Brazil a country of contrasts?

Brazil is a country of contrasts. Its diverse landscapes include the rain forests of the Amazon region, rich farmlands of the Northeast, and thousands of miles of beaches along the coast.

what elements of capoeira were developed in brazil

But the strategic blending of fight and dance occurred in Brazil, under specific pressures. And while this strategy appears to have been directed against forces outside the roda de capoeira, it became the fundamental strategy within the game. Dance-as seduction, illusion, deception-became dangerous, and kicks became elements of choreography. The Portuguese tolerated the roda de capoeira because it was merely dance-perceived as motion without purpose or effect, other than aesthetic. And within the circles, Africans in Brazil trained like fighters in the art of disimulation- how to grin upside down

carnivalescos

By the 1950's samba schools hired professional coordinators, called carnivalescos.

ritual of possession

Candomblé involves the 'ritual of possession.' Backyard candomblé sessions by night are usually followed by samba parties for the people 'made joyous' in their worship. A worshipper possessed by an orixa is adorned with special garments and ornaments and treated as the deity while in the trance.

how did candomble help afro-brazilians maintain their african roots?

Candomblé is of Yoruba origin and helped the 3.5 million Africans transplanted as slaves in Brazil to retain their cultural roots. Slavery existed in Brazil for over 300 years; Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery in 1888. Candomblé evolved in the 1870s. It provided a counterbalance to the existing politics and was a method for cultural survival and resistance for Afro-Brazilians. Candomblé is a danced form of religious worship involving possession and trance. It allowed Afro-Brazilian slaves to maintain a connection with their African roots. It also strengthened the worshipper's connection with a chosen saint/orixa, allowing them to call upon a specific saint/orixa for protection. -

priests and priestesses

Candomblé priestesses and priests have an esteemed role, in contrast to everyday life, and often inherit their titles.

Candomblé was developed in Bahia

Candomblé was developed in Bahia, a state in the northeast region of Brazil. Though it blends elements of Yoruba traditional religion and Catholicism, approximately 80% of it is of African origin. - The Candomblé religion spread from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro during the migration of freed slaves to the cities at the end of the 19th century.

What are characteristics of capoeira that are almost always present

Capoeira is always played in a roda---the same circle formation that delimits all traditional Afro-Brazilian dance. Two players enter the roda at a time, and their focus remains on each other, while they may pivot either clockwise or counterclockwise throughout the . game. Motion is generally circular. Kicks and sweeps are more often than not arched or spinning, and they loop together in a series of near misses. The ideal is to keep one's eyes fixed on one's opponent. - At times this necessitates having eyes in the back of one's head. But the relative placement of body parts or facial features seems to be constantly ridiculed anyway. The capoeirista spends a good deal of time inverted, with hands planted firmly like feet on the ground, feet slapping happily like palms in the air.

african influence of carnivale

Carnival in Brazil today owes much to central African traditions associated with the crowning of kings in the Congo and Angola. As early as the seventeenth century, black Brazilian street processions in honor of the Virgin Mary incorporated a mock coronation of an African king and queen. The resulting fusion, which combined elements of dance, parade, and allegorical street theater, came to be called a congada. It so happened that each Catholic parish in Portugal had a custom of crowning a "king and queen" on the feast day ofO ur Lady of the Rosary and celebrating the brief reign of this couple with masked dances. The Catholic authorities in Brazil-who were always looking for Christian rituals that would appeal to new African converts - may have sanctioned the original congadas because of their resemblance to this Portuguese custom.

Cavalaria

Cavalaria is the musical warning rhythm that was strongly associated with early capoeira.

orixa and dance

Each orixa has specific drum beats, special colors, symbols and dance steps associated with it.

historical background of carnival

European roots in pre-Christian era Saturnalia / Greek Dionysian revels Became pre-Lenten frolics , disorderly street processions/masked balls and parades Entrudo

Ginga

Ginga -- swaying dance step; the basic step of capoeira

Yoruba Diety- Iansa

Iansa African Goddess of War, Storms, Winds, Hurricanes, and the Realm of the Dead, saint Barbara

etymological theories of capoeira

In contemporary usage, the word capoeira refers most often to the game, but there are two other meanings in standard Brazilian Portuguese: bush· and chicken coop. The latter meaning derives from the Portuguese word capao, which means rooster and is related to the English word capon. Some suggest that the game resembled a chicken fight, the scrambling of twO birds in a cage. Whether the term would have been applied in this case by Portuguese observing the practice or ironically by capoeiristas themselves is not clear. Another suggestion is that the chicken coop label was attached metonymically rather than metaphorically: it was the Africans taking fowl to sell at the markets who practiced the game in public plazas, transferring the name of their merchandise to their pastime. Capoeira as "bush," or wild space, is said to derive from Tupi roots (cad: forest, pu~ra: extinct). Again, the etymology may be "true" or "false"-although its accuracy is less interesting than the association of a term for wildness with the indigenous,- Brazilian. The figure of the "Indian" or caboclo absorbs wilderness from both Portuguese and African imaginations in Brazil. While no explicit connection is indicated between indigenous games or dances and capoeira, the caboclo figure bears certain similarities to the capoeirista

how did bimba alter capoeira

In order to change the slyness, stealthy and malicious reputation associated with capoeira practitioners at that time, Bimba set new standards to the art. His students had to wear a clean, white uniform, show proof of grade proficiency from school, show good posture and many other standards. As a result, doctors, lawyers, politicians, upper middle class people, and women (who until then had been excluded from performing capoeira) started to join his school, providing Bimba with better support.

Ladainha

Ladainha -- plaintive solo lyric

Yoruba Diety- Legba

Legba African Messenger God, God of Crossroads and Trickster, saint peter

orixas

Like the deities invoked in Haitian voudun- and the west African deities from which both are descended-the orixas represent forces that can affect a person's life for good or ill: the sea, the wind, the forest, lightning, disease. After offering animal sacrifices to an orixa, the dancers, who have undergone extensive training for periods of up to seven years, begin to move to specific drum rhythms that are attuned to particular deities. Each woman dances to invite a deity to "enter her head" and "ride" her.

Mestre Bimba

Mestre Bimba was responsible for the academicization and legalization of capoeira. - The "Capoeira Regional" or "Luta Regional Baiana" was then a more martial art oriented, effective, efficient and athletic style of capoeira. After a performance at the palace of Bahia's Governor, Juracy Magalhães, Mestre Bimba was finally successful in convincing the authorities of the cultural value of Capoeira, thus ending the official ban in the 1930's. - Mestre Bimba founded the first Capoeira school in 1932, the "Academia-Escola de Capoeira Regional", at the Engenho de Brotas in Salvador, Bahia.

impact of abolition 1888

Migration of newly freed slaves to Rio de Janeiro Police regulations sought to limit black influence on carnival Carnival became a center of controversy

capoeira rules, etiquette, etc.

Nobody generally "wins" a game of capoeira, although in recent years there have sprung up various tournaments and other events-but that's all part of the story. There are takedowns, and certainly the ability to apply them effectively adds to one's prestige as a capoeirista. But gratuitous, unprovoked violence or even humorless humiliation of one's opponent (or partner?) is never admired. The question is at what point provocation occurs. In a tight, "inside" game (jogo de dentro) when the players are interweaving spinning kicks, the agility and precision of one opens a precise space for the elegant partnering of the other. But there may be a moment imperceptible to a spectator when somehow synchronicity shatters and there are in fact two opposing forces. Someone provoked. Someone sprung malice, which was always inherent in the moves.

Yoruba Diety- Ogun

Ogun African Warrior God of Iron, Labor, Politics, Sacrifice and Technology, saint george

samba school

Out of this mix came the so-called "samba schools," neighborhood-based social clubs whose principal purpose is to organize Carnival processions. At first, the authorities in Rio discouraged the participation of samba schools from the city's poorer black neighborhoods; in the early years of this century club- swinging police often broke up the rowdier processions. In 1935 the samba schools were recognized as official Carnival organizations; in return, the schools agreed to abide by city regula- tions governing the use of musical instruments and the allegorical themes around which the pageants had to be structured. From this agreement, Rio's modem Carnival, a highly organized event that leaves room for individual "acting out," was born. The goal of every samba school is to win first prize in the officially sponsored samba contest that is the high point of Carnival. In order to compete, a samba - school must create a pageant based ona patriotic Brazilian theme, with the stress on ethnic pride and better relations among the country's racial and religious groups. There are over a hundred samba schools in Rio; each has between two and four thousand members known as sambistas. Although the samba schools receive subsidies from the citygovern- ment and contributions from local businessmen, the sambistas spend most of their leisure time during the year making their own costumes, designing and building elaborate floats of wood, metal, paper, and Styrofoam, and pre- paring and rehearsing their songs and dances. New sambas, with special lyrics, music, and dance steps, are composed.

historical background of carnival (african roots)

Portugese Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary Congada - fusion of African and Catholic traditions Day of Kings -- Jan 6

candomble ceremonies + oro

Public Candomblé ceremonies are called oro. The temple or center where the ceremonies are held is called a terreiro. The goal of the oro is to invite the orisha to come into the space and for the orisha's spirit to enter the worshipper. Rituals last several hours, and involve music and dance.

Quilombos

Quilombos are independent black communities in the backlands of Brazil. These communities were established by escaped African slaves, but over time, the escaped slaves (known as Quilombolas) welcomed others. The quilombo population eventually consisted of escaped slaves, native Brazilian Indians (Mestiços), and others of mixed races.

three different sounds of the berimbau

Rattle - with the coin only a few millimeters away from the wire, usually with additional emphasis on the caxixi; Low sound - made by only hitting the wire below the coin; don't press coin against wire; High sound - made by pressing the coin strongly against the wire.

orixas

Represent forces of nature -- the sea, the wind, the forest, lightning, disease, etc. Properly invoked, orixas help worshippers deal with personal problems, illness, etc. Brazilian children are often given a "saint", or orixa, with whom they identify.

sambadrome

Sambadrome, built in 1984 -- 634 yards of pavement flanked by bleachers for spectators, with television coverage, etc.

dance possession

Suddenly one of the dancers falls to the floor; she has gone into a trance, signifying the moment of possession by an orixa. She is led into an adjoining room, adorned with clothes and symbolic implements appropriate to her orixa, and then returned to the main dancing floor. Until her trance ends, she will be treat- ed not as a woman possessed but as the possessing deity itself.

european roots of carnival

The European roots of Carnival go back to the spring festivals of the pre- Christian era, especially to the Roman new-year festival of Saturnalia and the even earlier revels associated with the Greek cult of Dionysus. What all such events had in common was a riotous re- lease of the pent-up energies of winter, a public expression of thanksgiving for the return of warm weather, and uninhibited celebrations of the earth's fertility. These spring festivals survived in Christian Europe as pre-Lenten frolics. Before the long fast began, the normal rules of behavior were suspended and even respectable citizens mocked the authority of church and state in licentious, often obscene ceremonies known - Not surprisingly, both church and state tried to rein in the wilder aspects of these events; when repeated prohibitions had no effect, elegant masked balls and parades with elaborate floats were offered as alternatives to the more disorderly street processions. Despite periodic crackdowns by the authorities, a rowdy tradition known as Entrudo lasted well into the nineteenth century on the Iberian peninsula. In Lisbon , revelers donned costumes to disguise their identity, men dressed as women and women as men, servants lorded it over their masters, otherwise faithful husbands and wives dallied with strangers, and staid pillars of the community ran through the streets pelting each other with flour, eggs, mud, rotten fruit, and projectiles filled with water and animal excrement. - It was this tradition of Entrudo that Portuguese settlers brought to Brazil, where it merged with west and central African traditions of public role-reversal and socially sanctioned festivals of "release." In the nineteenth century such prodigious quantities of water were thrown about the streets of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival that the news- papers warned of impending shortages. Not until the second half of the century did the white elite of Brazil begin organizing more sedate Carnival celebrations around costumed balls and parades illustrating allegorical themes.

caboclo

The caboclo is an emblem in Afro-Brazilian culture of the refusal to be or remain a captive. One popular conception of capoeira is that it was developed as a means of self-defense fur slaves hoping to escape to independent black communities in the backlands of the agricultural states. These communities, quilombos, have been documented as remarkably developed urban centers with organized political and market system

immediate source of today's carnival

The immediate source of today's Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the rancho, a procession originally held on January 6, the Day of Kings, to celebrate the journey of the three Magi to Bethlehem. Stripped of its connection to Christmas and moved to the pre-Lenten period, the rancho became increasingly carnival-esque, with marching musicians play- ing brass and string instruments while costumed male and female choruses sang and performed dances based on allegorical themes. To the processional pageant of the rancho, black Brazilians who had migrated to Rio from Bahia added the samba, which was originally an Angolan circle dance with solo interludes.

The largest quilombo is called

The largest quilombo is called "Quilombodos Palmares." − Palmares is located in the state of Alagoas, in Northeastern Brazil.

how is candomble connected to carnivale

The links to the west African pantheon of the Yoruba people are explicit and cherished by those who dance the dances of the gods. Candomble spread from Bahia to the rest of Brazil after the end of slavery; the tradition of African dance that it helped keep alive has, in recent years, become part of Brazilian Carnival, a national celebration that represents a grand fusion of Portuguese and African traditions.

major cities in brazil

The major cities in the Northeast are Recife (in the state of Pernambuco) and Salvador (in Bahia). Bahia, in the northeast, was the area of Brazil first colonized by the Portuguese. The Southeast region is the most developed and most densely populated area of Brazil. The two largest cities in the nation are both in the southeast region: São Paolo (which is the largest city in Brazil and the largest city in the southern hemisphere of the world), and Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil.

The origins of Brazil's unique dance forms are found

The origins of Brazil's unique dance forms are found among the Africans who were originally transplanted to Brazil as slaves.Slavery existed in Brazil for about 350 years.

why do orixas possess dancers

The orixas enjoy dancing; they "enter" their human worshipers (maleas well as female) in order to join in the festive ceremony. Properly invoked, they will also help worshipers deal with per- sonal problems. Although the dances are spontaneous, each deity not only has a specific drum rhythm but a recognizable dance style: vigorous, stamping steps for the male god associated with war; fluid, dreamy movements for the goddess of streams and rivers; and so on.

what elements of capoeira are most likely from Africa

The simplest little narrative in circulation is something like this: prior to their captivity and enslavement in Brazil, the people of the Kongo-Angola region practiced certain kicking games for sport and recreation. In Brazil, the games were prohibited for all too obvious reasons. But the Kongo people continued practicing their games in seclusion. The roda was formed as a protective circle, and the choreographic elements-as well as music-were added to disguise a fight as a dance. Repression of the practice continued even after abolition. The players invented a special rhythm, cavalaria, an imitation of the sound of approaching horses' hooves, to warn each other of . police surveillance, and on that cue the capoeira became an "innocent" samba. In other words, capoeiristas generally acknowledge that a martial arts technique and choreographic and rhythmic vocabularies were brought from Africa.

The three Brazilian dance forms

The three Brazilian dance forms we will study in this section of Unit 2 are: • Capoeira• Candomblé • Samba.

samba styles

There are many different styles of samba, and not all are couple dances. In Carnival parades you'll often see Samba No Pé, a female soloist style. Contemporary styles are characterized by elaborate costumes, new sambas, new dance steps, and historical, folkloric, mythical, satirical, and fantastical themes. There is also an older style of samba - the ring samba, or samba de roda. It is very old and originated from the colonial era in Brazil.

purpose of candomble rituals

To maintain a connection with African roots To identify with one's chosen saint, or orixa To call upon a specific orixa for healing or protection.

samba

Today the word samba refers to a whole genre of marchlike compositions with a highly ornamented 2/4 rhythm. The singers and dancers in each pageant are accompanied by as many as four hundred percussionists, who play a battery of instruments, ranging from various drums of African origin to classical kettledrums to iron frying pans struck with metal rods. The focus of all their efforts is a brief passage in front of the judges in Rio's Sambadrome, 634 yards of pavement flanked by four-story concrete bleachers that hold seventy thousand spectators-usually VIPs and tourists who can afford the high-priced seats (forty dollars a ticket and up).It takes two days for all the competing schools to pass in review before the judges.

Zumbi

Zumbi, a legendary leader, freedom fighter, and hero to many Afro-Brazilians from Bahia, was born free inside the "Quilombo dos Palmares" in 1655. Palmares had an organized government system similar to an African Kingdom with a king and his assembly. Zumbi led the quilombo resistance against the Portuguese colonists in Brazil during the latter half of the 17th century. An expert in capoeira, he served as Commander-in-Chief of Palmares for twenty years before being killed by the Portuguese in 1695. To this day, he is remembered as a national hero and symbol of freedom in Brazilian history.

favela

a slum community in a Brazilian city

Capoeira in urban areas

african slaves created a defense system disguised as a game-like dance in the slave quarters of Brazilian plantations. Slaves' wrists were often shackled, so in the dance, the head and legs primarily initiated movement. Historically, the dance functioned as a means of freedom - it physically and figuratively liberated slaves from captivity. It was a means of cultural expression, a way for slaves to keep their culture alive in a foreign nation. Slaves also used capoeira in an opportunity to escape: they defended themselves with their hands and feet. In 1814, capoeira and other remnants of African culture were repressed and prohibited.african slaves

when was a more hostile version of capoeira developed and why

between 1888 and 1890, just after the end of slavery in Brazil, a more hostile style of capoeira developed. Newly freed people often did not have the skills to ensure they could get a job when they fled the plantations for the cities, so some of them joined criminal gangs. Their capoeira practices were associated with anti-government and criminal activities called "ruffianism." In response, in 1890, the Brazilian government outlawed capoeira - but the practice continued in secret. The police arrested "capoeiristas" who practiced their dance in the streets, so music was used to let dancers know whenever the police were near. Musical instruments played a special rhythm called the "cavalaria" that cued players to police presence.

the role of Bahia as an evidence of African influence

if one recognizes that Bahia, the capital of capoeira and AfroBrazilian culture generally, resembles a West African port city much more than it does any city in Latin America, the gap of the Atlantic begins to seem quite incidental. The historical fact of forced migration is not forgettable, but the racial and cultural constituency of Bahia is overwhelmingly African. The dance forms which developed there were influenced by Europeans and indigenous Brazilians, but they developed in a culturally African' metropolis.

Capoeira

is a game, a fight, and a dance, composed of kicks, acrobatics, and traditional Kongo dance movements. One doesn't speak of "dancing" or "fight-. ing" capoeira but rather of "playing": jogar capoei'ra.

Brazil

is a large nation in South America. In terms of geographic area, it is the fifth largest nation in the world. It is bordered by ten different nations: Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Guyana, Paraguay, Bolivia, French Guiana, Uruguay, and Suriname. And with over 4,600 miles of coastline adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil is famous for its beaches.

Candomblé

is an Afro-Brazilian spirit possession religion, created by African slaves in Brazil and their descendants. Catholic/Jesuit missionaries tended to be more tolerant of Pre-Christian customs as long as they could be outwardly reconciled with Christianity" (Jonas). During slavery, African religions were practiced under the guise of Catholicism. Candomblé is a fusion of African and Catholic beliefs and practices, a syncretist religion. - West African orishas are worshipped in the guise of Catholic saints. - Dance-based festivals honoring Yoruba gods were often moved to the days dedicated to the corresponding Christian holidays or saints.