Spinning kicks, rhythmic steps, and Portuguese lyrics filled the hall as members of Boston-based Sinhá Capoeira performed for and taught students from Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School (MVPCS).
A Times reporter observed a performance and a class for the Charter School’s middle and high school students on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Hall.
Although there was initial reluctance by students to join in, a demonstration by the capoeira practitioners — a combination of sweeping kicks, cartwheels, and a fluid interchange of capoeiristas performing spar-like “play” accompanied by drumming, clapping, singing, and the melodies from a musical bow called a berimbau — charged the youngsters’ enthusiasm to learn about capoeira.
“There is no capoeira without music,” Sinhá Capoeira founder and artistic director Lindemberg Desouza — known as Mestre Chuvisquinho in the capoeira community — a third-generation capoeirista who has been practicing the art his entire life, said.
But what exactly is capoeira? While many people understand capoeira as a martial art and form of self-defense disguised as dance, developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil, Chuvisquinho said it was more than that.
“Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian form of expression,” Chuvisquinho said, continuing that since various artistic aspects come together to make up capoeira — from dancing to singing to martial arts — he didn’t like labeling capoeira under a single category.
Chuvisquinho described capoeira as “congruent with the history of Brazil,” and “a part of the construction of the country.”
“Capoeira was initially used as a form of social inclusion, cultural education, and understanding of your heritage,” Chuvisquinho said. “If I start talking about the history of capoeira, we’ll be here the entire week … capoeira is a rich, rich art.”
MVPCS Spanish teacher Christina Montoya acted as a bridge between the Charter School and the capoeira school. When Montoya found out Gastrell Rossignol, who had taught salsa with her on Martha’s Vineyard, was also a part of Sinhá Capoeira, she took the chance to showcase the art form to the students.
“I always wanted to get capoeira to the Island as well, so here was my opportunity,” she said, adding she wanted to bring capoeira because there are a number of Brazilian students at the Charter School: “I also wanted to bring something to specifically shine on their culture.”
Additionally, Montoya said, the shared capoeira experience acted as another connection between Brazilian and non-Brazilian students.
“It felt like a wonderful bridge,” she said, adding her hope that a capoeira school can be established on the Island in the future.
Seeing the capoeira performance was a walk down memory lane for MVPCS Director Peter Steedman, who used to be the principal of a São Paulo, Brazil, school called Escola Americana De Campina. Steedman said he saw capoeira during his time in Brazil.
“Every opportunity we can, we have to celebrate the culture of our Brazilian community, specifically the Afro-Brazilian community,” he said. According to Steedman, there are currently more than 20 students of Brazilian descent out of the total 180 student population at the Charter School.
Steedman was with an earlier group of students between kindergarten and sixth grade, and he described the experience as “pure joy” with the dancing and singing in Portuguese. While on recess duty that day, he also saw some of the Brazilian students teaching their peers, and younger students, capoeira.
Steedman said he hopes to be able to bring Sinhá Capoeira back to the Island and establish connections with other Boston-based Brazilian organizations as well.
Metaphorically taking people on a “trip to Brazil” through capoeira was one of the reasons Chuvisquinho traveled to share the art form that was his “first love.” Chuvisquinho emphasized that while the art form was created in Brazil, “capoeira belongs to the world.” He pointed out that his students came from different parts of the globe, like Russia, El Salvador, and Taiwan, not just the U.S.
“It’s important that every time I go to share capoeira, people that have not seen capoeira before understand the importance of capoeira as an art form that is a part of the building of a country, which is Brazil,” Chuvisquinho said. “Capoeira is rooted in the history of Brazil.”
Chuvisquinho continued that when someone learns about capoeira, people can connect to Brazil when the country comes up in conversation. If some of the Charter School students go to Brazil, they’ll have that connection there already.
“When they see capoeira, they’re going to remember, they’re going to reconnect what happened here today,” Chuvisquinho said. “It’s the understanding of passing the cultural education. That’s my work as a mentor, as a teacher, as a master of capoeira.”
