Capoeira brings Brazilian culture to campus

By Caroline Mooser

You may have seen them practicing in front of the Benson fountain on your way to class, turning a few heads with their skillful kicks, cartwheels, handstands, lunges and other acrobatic moves.

Capoeira, a traditional Brazilian practice that combines martial arts with rhythmic dance moves, has gained much attention at gyms, studios and college campuses all over the world.

Capoeira found its way to Santa Clara when senior Diogo Hausen and senior James Hanold founded the club last year.

Freshman Logan Smith, who once saw himself as "a skinny white kid," decided to buff up through Capoeira at a studio in his hometown of Colorado Springs. Hausen has been involved since birth and practices at the downtown studio, Capoeira of San Jose.

Capoeira differs from Jiu-Jitsu, which Hausen says is an angrier Brazilian martial art in which participants engage themselves in a series of "takedowns." According to Hanold, Jiu-Jitsu is meant to "bring pain to the other person." Capoeiristas, on the other hand, never actually make any physical contact with their opponents.

He also said a person can identify the best Capoeiristas as "the ones that can kill you with a kick, but that are smiling at you the whole time and that are playing with you."

Daja Evans, a professor in the School of Engineering, has been a Capoeira "groupie" for 10 years, and even has a daughter committed to the artform. Evans said that the history of Capoeira is rooted in the experience of millions of slaves brought from Africa to Brazil around 400 years ago.

Because the slaves were not allowed to possess weapons, it was necessary for them to develop a mechanism of physical self-defense. It is generally believed that the slaves practiced their fight moves "disguised as a dance," so as not to alarm slave masters who might see them.

Because the form was once illegal, Capoeiristas used nicknames, or apelidos, to hide their true identities in case they were caught practicing. This tradition continues today, and the apelidos usually define the personality or some physical feature of the Capoeirista. Smith's apelido is "Bandeira," flag in Portuguese, and Hanold's is "Caverna," or cave man.

Another important aspect of Capoeira is the music that establishes the rhythm and mood of the "jogo," or game. Professor Evans said that the berimbau -- composed of a stick, gourd and wire and balanced on the pinkie -- is the principle instrument that determines what kind of fight moves will transpire.

Angola, an older style of Capoeira, is characterized by a slower tempo that calls for "very slow, low to the ground â?¦ movements that invoke the animals of the forest."

Regional Capoeira is the faster style consisting of "golpes," or kicks and "rasteiras" or sweeps and flourishes, which liken it to break dancing.

In the "roda," or circle, and pronounced "ho-duh," the two players are surrounded by the other Capoeiristas, who wait for their turn to play while clapping and singing Portuguese lyrics.

Because it requires coordination, rhythm, agility and upper body strength, Capoeira is not for the faint of heart. It does have many benefits, however, Capoeiristas will often speak of the "ax," pronounced "ash-ay," or positive energy they experience.

While Smith likened it to chi, Hanold defined axeas the "life and energy that fuels us." Hausen summed it up as: "Happiness!"

Both Hausen's and Smith's favorite moves involve great acrobatic skill. Hausen prefers "macao," or monkey, which Smith classifies as a "tiny back hand spring." His own choice move is the "armada dupla," or double trick, which involves a flip.

"Both your legs come up and over your body and your back is parallel to the ground," he said.

Practices are held at 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays on the Santa Clara Mall.

Correction: The story incorrectly stated Diogo Hausen was a junior. He is a senior.

Contact Caroline Mooser at cmooser@scu.edu.