CAPOEIRA CLUB PLANS PRESENTATION AND FOOD DRIVE
February 14, 2001 - The Bloomfield College Capoeira Club will hold its second annual food drive and demonstration of the Brazilian martial art form on Thursday, March 1 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Westminster Hall - Room 110, corner of Austin Place and Fremont Street in Bloomfield. The event will benefit local homeless shelters, and each member of the audience is asked to bring one canned good.
|
|
Capoeira, a martial arts form developed by Brazilian slaves, combines physical fitness with music, dance, history and discipline. The action takes place in a rhoda, or circle of people, while music is played on the outskirts. Two players follow the rhythm of the music and perform acrobatic movements while attempting to knock their opponents off-balance.
When students are not competing, they are providing the accompanying rhythm of the berimbau, an ancient musical bow; the atabaque, a floor drum; a tambourine, and other instruments.
The demonstration will feature Bloomfield College students as well as three-time Brazilian Capoeira champion Glauber Fernandes.
Capoeira began in Brazil more than 100 years ago and is derived from African, Portugese, and native Indian cultures. At first, it was simply a dance or an activity that slaves would use to pass their free time, although it later became a way to fight back against plantation owners. According to Fernandes, slave owners were never aware that the slaves were perfecting a method of self-defense due to the music and the rhythmic nature of Capoeira.
“When the plantation owner was around, the musicians would play slower paced music, pretending that the practice was simply a dance. Once the plantation owner was
gone, the rhythm would pick up and Capoeira would change from a dance to a fight,” said Fernandes.
The Bloomfield College Capoiera Club recently celebrated its first anniversary at the school. In its first year, club members participated in many service activities including food and clothing drives, collaborations with local churches and Police Benevolent Associations, and presentations for local school systems as well as the Bloomfield College community. The club holds monthly open meetings where members of the community are invited to participate in the practice of the martial art and its music, and share in the exchange of cultures.
For further information about Capoeira at Bloomfield College, call (908) 527-1411.
