MACULELÉ
Maculelé is a dance that originated in Brazil far before Capoeira. It
is not known exactly when Maculelé was created. Maculelé had a great
influence upon the creation of Capoeira. It is
mainly done by Capoeiristas, and by dance companies at Brazilian festivals
and performances. When doing Maculelé, each person has two sticks (machetes
sometimes). A circle is made and everyone begins to hit the sticks together
to the beat of the drum, with heavy emphasis on the fourth beat. The
music is very fast and energetic. When someone wants to play, he/she
invites another by eye contact and they both dance out to the center
of the roda. Maculelé is very fun and simple, the two people in the
roda hit each other’s right hand stick on every fourth beat. During
the first three beats before that the dancers can do whatever they want!
They can
spin, jump, go nuts, do whatever. You’re basically freestyling
and hitting sticks every fourth beat. After a while then two new people
can enter into the circle and dance. Whenever we
play Maculelé in my class (which isn’t too often since it isn’t
really part of Capoeira) we dance and play for a while, then everyone
on the outside circle turns to the person next to them and starts playing!
Then we have a room full of people all doing Maculelé. It’s really
really fun and exciting, especially when someone does a cool movement
in the dance.
HOW CAPOEIRA IS PLAYED
In playing Capoeira, the point is not to hurt the other person. The
other person is your friend. The game is for out-maneuvering as much
as it is attacking. Being creative and enjoying
yourself is the motivation. The best thing about Capoeira is that the
point is to have fun. Games can get fast and aggressive, but always
remain rhythmic, energetic and flowing. In Capoeira, you're not trying
to beat the other person senseless. If you land a counter or hit the
person, that's good as long as you aren't trying to really start a fight.
It's all in good fun so don't try to pound the other person to pulp.
You're playing a game. Normally whenever anyone gets hit, they laugh
it off and keep playing. Capoeiristas have a mutual respect for one
another in the roda. You always have the chance to dance, taunt, express
yourself through your movements and most importantly have fun. The atmosphere
of the game comes from the music, an
essential part of Capoeira. People gather in a circle, the Roda (pronounced
hoda), which is presided by the Berimbau player. Accompanying him are
a drummer who contributes the base rhythm and usually additional instruments.
A singer begins a song (in Portuguese), the chorus joins in for the
refrain and the game commences. During the game anybody can take the
song lead. There are various rituals that can be done while playing
Capoeira, i.e. the players can
walk in a circle inside the Roda to recover, they can make a Chamada
(a call, done only in Capoeira Angola), or buying into the game by putting
one arm between the Players (done
only in Capoeira Regional).
Capoeira Angola and Regional: these are the primary styles, with Regional
evolving during the 1930’s from Angola. Regional is played quickly
and aggressively with flashy high kicks,
acrobatic flips and an electrifying beat. Angola is played slow and
precisely, with every movement blending together. The players maneuver
gracefully in the Roda very low to the ground, unlike Regional.
There’s not really a set of instruments designated for each style,
but in both instances there must always be one Berimbau. There can be
no less than one and no more than three at a time. There can be up to
three Pandeiros (Tambourines), one Atabaque (large drum), one Agogô
(a two tone bell), and one Reco-reco (pronounced heko-heko, a ribbed
bamboo scraper).