If you're wearing a stunned look, then you're not one of the 100-odd Mumbaikars, for whom Capoeira has become a way of life.
What's the first word that comes to your mind when someone mentions Brazil? Samba? Football? What about Capoeira? If you're wearing a stunned look, then you're not one of the 100-odd Mumbaikars, for whom Capoeira has become a way of life.
To the uninitiated, Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that cleverly masquerades as a dance. And worry not, my twinkle-toed friend, you don't have to head down to the Copacabana to learn the form, just go to Khar, where Reza Massah revels in his role as Mumbai's sole Capoeira teacher.
His love for this martial art dates back to 1997, when, on a business trip to Israel he saw Jews and Arabs indulging in it. Today, after having studied it for more than seven years, he is "completely addicted".
Monitor Baba, as Massah is popularly known, is now on a mission to spread this 16th Century Afro-Brazilian discipline to all those Mumbaikars who want to have a smile on their face, giga in their body, and samba in their feet.
Unlike other dance and martial art forms, Capoeira lets you be your self. As a famous Capoeira quote goes: "It is what the mouth eats." So you may weigh 60 kilos or be 46-years-old (the age of the oldest capoeirista in Reza's class) it really doesn't matter.
Even dancing or gymnastic skills are not a necessity. It's all about how you express yourself and flow with your thoughts through the aerial kicks and cartwheels.
The game begins with members, nicknamed according to their personas, forming a circle called a Rhoda. The room resonates to the beats of tabaki, pandeiro caxixi, berimbau and agogo — old African instruments.
First, two capoeristas, Timido and Filho-de-santo, indulge in some acrobatic play at the centre of the circle. Their moves are fast and flexible, their faces are expressive, occasionally breaking into smiles.
In fact, Capoeira never really ends. For even though you may end it physically, you still continue to play it mentally. The tradition, alive for more than 500 years now spreads its kicks and sways across the world.
Most of Baba's students consider Capoeira a part of their life; at times it's even like a drug. Everyone is learning it for a special reason. Some are learning it to get fit; others for the music; and for many more it's a chance to learn a new language — in this case, Portuguese.
Viuva Negra, a Capoeira instructor, who has specially flown down from Israel to teach students as part of the Cordao De Ouro Mumbai group, says, "Mumbaikars have energy levels similar to Brazilians. I am sure Capoeira will find a place within Mumbai's cultural frame".
c_munira@dnaindia.net
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