Brazilian fight-dance packs a punch

By Jennifer Palmberg
The Collegian

Capoeira is a sport made famous by the movie “Only the Strong,” though it made a more recent and less serious debut in the comedy “Meet the Fockers.”

Capoeira is part dance and part fight. It is performed to the rhythm of the berimbau, an African string instrument and as the tempo of the beat changes so does the tempo of the capoeirista or dance-fighter. Today the sport is used as a game, exercise or self-defense. But originally it was used for combat.

Fresno State club founder Jacob Petway has been practicing the sport of Capoeira for about two years.

He was originally a member of the Capoeira Brazil Club at Fresno City College and decided to bring the club to Fresno State. This is the first semester the club has been offered.

“It’s more than a dance and more than a fight,” Petway said. “It is a form of self expression. Everyone practices it differently.”

Petway said the group varies in experience from some who are just learning and others who have been practicing the sport for six years. He said besides the actual sport, the group learns how to sing and perform authentic Portuguese music.

“We’ll spend one or two hours their first week teaching new members how to play the instruments and perform the songs, but how good they get depends on how much they want to learn,” Petway said.

“You get what you put in to Capoeira.”

African slaves founded Capoeira as a form of self-defense.

The Dutch invaded Brazil between 1624 and 1630. During the invasion, African slaves used the chaos as an opportunity to escape from their Brazilian owners and take shelter in the nearby forests. They formed political communities known as Quilombos, which were ultimately ruled by a king.

After the Dutch were expelled, the Brazilian owners organized armed expeditions that went out to recapture fugitive slaves. With minimal weapons, the Quilombos knew they had to defend themselves somehow using their hands and feet. As a result, they created Capoeira.

Capoeira is a cultural art that was illegal to practice in Brazil until about 1930. After the practice was made legal it flourished into a sport that is practiced around the world.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Capoeira in the United States. To celebrate a national gathering called Batizado was held in New York. Petway said Capoeira clubs from all over the nation joined the celebration.

“It’s a big sport that’s growing in popularity every day,” Petway said. “Anyway you use it, it is great exercise.”

The Capoeira Brazil Club meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. In good weather the club meets outside of McKee Fisk on the quad, in bad weather or if it gets too dark the club practices inside McKee Fisk in room 204, Petway said.

For more information about the club, contact Jacob Petway at 455-3865.

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