The University Capoeira Group brought Visiting Capoeira Master Mestre Cobra Mansa, also known as Mestre Cobrihna, to campus this weekend to participate in a series of performances and workshops. Capoeira Angola is a danced fight involving style, wit, flexibility, and strategy that originated as an Afro-Brazilian art form.

In the middle of a pulsing, energetic crowd in the basement of Malcolm X House Saturday night, the yellow T-shirts of student Capoeristas could be seen in the center of the “roda,” the circle of people within which Capoeira is played. People standing in the roda clapped and sang along to the music being played for the two partners engaged in the Capoeira game, called a “jogo.”

“Playing Capoeira and finding a way to enjoy it is part of life,” said Adan Martinez ’05. “In Brazil it is embedded in life. It’s a game, that’s the first thing. It’s a game, it can be a lot of things, but first it’s a game, a lot like life.”

The two central players moved their feet back and forth in a movement called “ginga,” crouching down to prepare for the turns, head-spins, kicks, and sweeps that make up the attacks and blocks of the game. In Capoeira, the accompanying instruments are played in a row called the “bateria.” One instrument played is the berimbau which resembles an archer’s bow and uses a steel string and a gourd for resonation. It is played by striking the string with a stick, and the pitch is regulated by a stone.

“It incorporates a lot of things that are important to me: music, movement…I always feel better about myself when I donate energy to this,” said Kevin Budner ’06, who spent his junior year abroad in Brazil and now leads classes on campus.

In addition to the Capoeiristas, there was a performance by the B-boys, a Middletown hip-hop group. Proceeds from the party went to Kilombo Tenonde, Cohbrihna’s project in Brazil.

“The link with break-dancing and Capoeira began in Central Park and places where both were [performed] together; a lot of people started borrowing moves from Capoeira [and using them] in break-dancing,” Cobrihna said.

Capoeira was first brought to the U.S. by a professor in Philadelphia organizing a Brazil week that focused on the relation between Capoeira and breakdancing.

In addition to the performance Saturday night, Cobrinha led a talk Saturday afternoon focusing on the way Capoeira affects its enthusiasts’ lives.

“Capoeira can take you over,” Cobrinha said. “If you want to do it, you need to be strong… and know other things you want in life. If it does become your life… you better be a good Capoeirsta. First you have to try to have fun.”

Martinez, who started practicing Capoeira during the second semester of his freshman year, was inspired to study abroad in Brazil through its influence. He talked about the benefits that students, especially those who are beginners, have when they engage in Capoeira within an intellectual setting.

“We’re used to approaching things here head first,” Martinez said. “Being able to put yourself completely into it first is good… but by approaching it head first, we’re also able to explore history, politics, racial tension, why it’s a consistent link back to African culture.”

Cobrinha spoke about the difficulties of training in a small university setting. He discussed the way the busy and demanding schedules of most college students affect their practice regime, and also the problems of training with the same small group of people.

“You need to be challenged; seeing new people motivates you, keeps everyone fresh,” Cobrinha said. “It’s different for a small group that doesn’t have new contacts… you know how the other people move, what they’re going to do.”

Martinez echoed this sentiment, relating it to his intensive Capoeira study in Brazil.

“To go to Brazil and train with a mestre every day,” Martinez said. “[I could] see how each person has an independent style, see how much fun people have. You’ve got to let go… it’s just a game.”

Cobrinha praised the local group’s durability.

“Wesleyan is one of the longest continuous clubs we [the ICAF] have going,” she said. “Sometimes it’s bigger, sometimes smaller, but there are always students keeping it going.”

Cobrinha first saw Capoeira performed on the streets of his hometown in Brazil. When he was 19, he began studying at an academy, and he became a mestre in Brazil in 1986 at the age of 26. A mestre is a Capoeira master, a rank given to a select few who have practiced intensely for years.

“It’s a long process. I was very young,” Cobrinha said. “You learn, and you become close to your mestre, and everyone [in the academy] must decide to accept you.”

Codbrinha first came to the United States in 1984 and moved permanently to the U.S. several years later, opening a school dedicated to Capoeira Angola in Washington D.C. He became involved with the Wesleyan Capoeira group in 1998, when he was invited by student members to do a workshop.

He is one of the founders of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation (ICAF), known as Fundacao International de Capoeira de Angola (FICA) in Brazil, the largest Capoeira Angola organization in the world. His organization works to preserve the historical and cultural background and traditions of Capoeira Angola, which was once in danger of being lost to newer alterations of the game: Capoeira Regional.

“We try to preserve the roots of Capoeira,” Cobrinha said. “It’s a mix of martial arts and dance. A lot of people are borrowing moves from Capoeira, and with Regional, it’s evolved into something else.”

The Wesleyan Capoeira group was started in 1996 and became an ICAF affiliate in 1998 under the direction of Cobrinha. It maintains student-run classes and is dedicated to the regular teaching and practice of Capoeira Angola. Additionally, the group regularly attends Capoeira conferences and hosts mestres. For more information, students can visit the website at www.wesleyan.edu/wsa/Capoeira.