Dance-fight club

Brazilian martial art fuses music, dance and combat

Picture someone like Jet Li or Chuck Norris punching and kicking the bejesus out of some goon … then breaking into a lively song and dance about it.

Such is the unusual mixture of art and self-defense that is called capoeira.

The Brazilian fighting style is as much about playing musical instruments and singing as it is executing cartwheels and spinning heel kicks.

“In capoeira, each individual picks up things better than someone else — like someone might be really good at acrobatics but really tone deaf,” says T.J. Staley, head instructor of the KU Capoeira Club. “For me personally, the biggest hurdle is not so much the music or the movements, but adapting to the language and the culture. It’s such an integral part of the martial art.”

Staley, a computer engineering student at KU, has been immersed in the style for more than six years. The Overland Park native says that in order for him to advance to the next belt level, he’ll have to train in Brazil and become fluent in Portuguese.

Fortunately, not everyone must travel to South America to earn a belt. In fact, a large capoeira testing demonstration sponsored by the KU club and its sister organization in Kansas City was on Sunday at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Brazilian master Marcos da Silva came to Lawrence to lead the event, sandwiched between similar excursions to Russia, Poland and Colombia. Those unfamiliar with the style might first confuse da Silva with the bandleader of a concert than a martial arts expert … and in some respects he is.

After beginning with a musical number and a “maculele” (a choreographed stick-dance fight), da Silva came out from behind his drum and microphone to lead a “batizado” — a baptism of new students. Unranked novices flanked the sides of the stage, and took terms challenging da Silva and another master in the center. The pair faced each other, delivered a number of kicks, spins and flips, and the contest generally ended with them being tripped or thrown by their superior.

After each match the fledgling students were presented their first belts.

Lawrence and Kansas City practitioners of capoeira gather at the Lawrence Arts Center Sunday for a demonstration in the Brazilian martial arts style. International master Marcos da Silva, front right, challenges a student during a batizado, or baptism, while other members perform songs in the background.

“When they play a master, that’s the equivalent to the dunking in water portion of the baptism,” says Erick Marquez, a member of the Kansas City organization for four years.

Marquez says this type of ritualized battle can take many forms, and the interaction between participants really showcases an individual’s personality.

“Sometimes it’s like a conversation, and occasionally one person just wants to talk about themselves,” he says.

But Marquez also stresses that what the packed arts center audience saw was more of a demo than actual sparring.

“Obviously for shows like this it’s not going to be, ‘Hey, watch us bleed,'” he explains. “We’re not going to show people the real violent part because we don’t want to scare people off.”

Embraced by pop culture

There are many competing theories as to the origin of the term capoeira (pronounced ka-poe-AY-rah). It apparently dates back to the 15th century when African slaves were imported to Brazil. Tribal dance, music and philosophy was embodied by the game, which some speculate evolved in marketplaces where slaves brought chickens for sale in baskets called capoeiras. Supposedly, the fighting movements mimicked those of roosters.

“There’s not a whole lot known about the history, because it was handed down by mestre (master) to mestre and they weren’t allowed to keep records,” Staley says.

Staley first got interested in capoeira when his brother told him about a 1993 indie movie called “Only the Strong,” about inner-city Miami high-schoolers who are taught by a master of the style.

T.J. Staley, front left, head instructor for the KU Capoeira Club, plays an opponent during Sunday's performance at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Just in the last year, capoeira has turned up in two blockbuster films. Dustin Hoffman’s character in the comedy “Meet the Fockers” practices it on his lawn and eventually challenges rival Robert De Niro with it.

“This is capoeira, man. This is some hard-core (expletive),” Hoffman threatens.

It’s also featured prominently in “Ocean’s Twelve” by a French thief (Vincent Cassel) who uses the moves to navigate through a security system’s laser sensors.

Such media exposure has brought a whole new generation of people to the phenomenon — which has especially gained popularity with women. About half of the Kansas City group and a third of the one in Lawrence is comprised of females.

“When I first saw Capoeira I was just amazed by the movements,” says Jennifer Roach, who’s been involved with it for three years and was one of the original students of the KU club when it formed in January 2004.

Those interested in joining KU’s capoeira club at the Student Recreation Center can contact capoeira@raven.cc.ku.edu.For information about Kansas City clubs, contact the Prairie Life Center at (816) 737-5260 or axecapoeira_kc@yahoo.com; and City in Motion at (816) 561-2882 or cityinmotion.org.

“It’s not only a way to exercise, it’s a great group of friends; I love the music; I love the training and the hard work. I feel I’m a little more prepared if anything could happen, because there’s a lot of practical stuff to it.”

More than self-defense

That practicality can certainly be reflected by the intensity of capoeira combat.

“It gets pretty rough at times. There’s no pads worn, so when you get hit, you get HIT,” says instructor Staley.

I’ve seen a couple people get knocked out. … When I went up to train with him in Vancouver I got knocked out.”

The practitioners of the style (called capoeiristas) believe the acrobatic techniques they employ prepare them for any aggression they might encounter in the real world.

Lawrence and Kansas City practitioners of capoeira perform a maculele -- a choreographed stick-dance fight -- Sunday at the Lawrence Arts Center.

“All the other different martial arts — even ones that are the most fluid — are rigid,” says Ryan Hatfield, a KU student who earned his first belt at Sunday’s batizado. “It’s a lot harder to cope with someone who’s constantly moving, who’s moving up and moving down.

“For someone who isn’t in it for the fights, even then it helps you to feel more confident that you can protect yourself.”

Yet the capoeiristas emphasize the style is so much more than just fighting — whether it’s discovering how to better hone one’s body, learning the Portuguese language or being introduced to playing the berimbau (a Brazilian stringed instrument that looks like a fishing pole with an split coconut attached).

Hatfield adds, “There’s a quote from one of the mestres that ‘Capoeira is for everybody.’ And it really is. It’s what you want from it.”