Capoeira Dance History and Popularity

Capoeira Dance History and Popularity Abstract Capoeira, which is a dancelike martial art, with its roots from the slavery in Brazil by the Portuguese colonialists has become very popular in many cultures outside Brazil. It has spread to al the continents and has been fused in many entertainment activities. This paper discusses the history of capoeira, how people relate to it in Brazil, where it went after the end of slavery in Brazil and its popularity worldwide.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Capoeira Dance History and Popularity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction Capoeira is dancelike martial art practised in Brazil especially in the northeastern regions of the country. It combines elements of sport, martial art as well as music. Whenever it is performed, it is normally accompanied by call-and-response choral singing as well as percussive instrumental music (Capoeira 3). The basic aesthetic elements of the dance were brought to th e country by slaves, majorly from West-central Africa (Capoeira 3). The elements were then integrated with traditional Brazilian dances, reinterpreted in the diverse slave population of Brazil to form a unique dance as well as way of self defense. Capoeira is famous for its complex and quick moves, quick leg sweeps and kicks, integrated with aerial plus ground acrobatics, take-downs, headbutts as well as punches. Although slavery ended in the late 19th century, the dance continued to flourish in the country. History of Capoeira The existence of Capoeira can be traced from the 16th century when African slaves were taken to South America to work in European farms (Capoeira 3). Most Capoeira, Nestor. The Little Capoeira Book. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2003. p. 3. Ibid . slaves who were brought from West and Central Africa by Portuguese slave traders were taken to Brazil since the country was a Portuguese colony. The main economic activity of the Portuguese in Brazil was sugarcane far ming. They had large plantations which required huge labour and therefore they had to enslave workers from elsewhere since the native Brazilians had proved to be too difficult to work with. The slaves worked in inhumane as well as humiliating conditions. They worked under pressure and often received physical punishment for small mistakes. Initially, the slaves could not rebel against the Portuguese even though Portuguese colonialists were fewer since they lacked or were afraid of the weapons, they also lacked knowledge of the land, and besides, they could not reason together as they had come from different African cultures (Capoeira 5). As such, it became necessary to develop a means of self defense to survive in this environment. It is these circumstances that prompted the development Capoeira. Slaves created a more than fighting style which could enable them survive in an environment where they were completely unequipped. Capoeira gave them hope to survive in the hostile environme nt where they were often at the mercy of the colonial agents who were responsible for finding escapees.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Due to the hostilities that the African slaves endured, they began to escape from the farms to move to faraway places where they could not be found easily. In those places, they built primitive settlements, Quilombos (Capoeira 7). These settlements Capoeira, Nestor. The Little Capoeira Book. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2003. p. 5. Ibid p.7. attracted more escapees which also included native Brazilians and Europeans running away from Catholic extremism. Since they always faced the risk of being raided by the Portuguese troops, Capoeira progressed from being a survival tool to war tool, martial arts. The elements of the martial art were highly influenced by the diverse cultures that were found in the quilombos. They used the capo eira to defend themselves against Portuguese soldiers who often attacked them. In 1808, Napoleonic troops invaded Portugal and King Dom Joo VI moved with Portuguese court to Brazil (Assunà §o 33). Things began to change and soon the Portuguese dominance ended as Brazil opened its ports to allow for trade with other nations. Towns and cities began to grow and people migrated to urban centres. This increased the rate of interaction which allowed more slaves or former slaves to move to towns. The social life in the towns and cities increased the notoriety and diffusion of capoeira. In Rio de Janeiro, capoeira became so problematic that it attracted sever punishment from the colonial government. Slaves were detained for practising Capoeira. However, constant raids on properties that still adopted slavery by quilombo militias led to the softening of the slavery laws. Finally, slavery came to an end in 1888 (Assunà §o 34). Unfortunately, the free black people were unable to find work as more Asians and Europeans workers came into the country limiting job opportunities. As a result, the black population maintained capoeira as a martial arts practice as well as recreation. Assunà §o, Matthias. Capoeira: A history of an Afro-Brazilian martial art. New York: Routlede, 2005. p. 33. Ibid. 34. Where did Capoeira go? After the end of slavery, capoeira practitioners diverted their abilities elsewhere. Many people employed them as body guards, henchmen, hitmen, as well as mercenaries. Some groups of Capoeira practitioners began to terrorize Rio de Janeiro (Talmon-Chvaicer 20). Eventually, the government banned capoeira practice in the country as police reports indicated that capoeira gave undeserved advantage to its practitioners in a fight. As a result, anybody who was caught practising capoeira particularly in a fight would be arrested and severely punished, and in most cases mutilated by the police.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Ca poeira Dance History and Popularity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After the prohibition, the practice of capoeira went underground. Cultural practices such as roda de capoeira were performed in secluded places while somebody kept an eye on the police. Later on in 1932 when the repression on capoeira had slowed, Mestre Bimba, who was a strong fighter in illegal as well as legal fights founded the first Capoeira school in Salvador (Talmon-Chvaicer 21). He integrated the styles used by other capoeiristas to entertain tourists, to improve martial arts. He reintroduced the styles that had been adopted by the Quilombos and added certain moves from traditional fighting styles. He also designed the first systematical training method on capoeira. Bimba founded another school, Centro de Cultura Fisica e Luta Regional in 1937 with permission from Salvador’s Secretary of Education (Talmon-Chvaicer 21). Talmon-Chvaicer, Maya. The Hidden Histor y of Capoeira: A Collision of Cultures in the Brazilian Battle Dance. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007. p. 20. Ibid. p 21. Ibid. p 21. The elements of Capoeira have since been applied in many sectors particularly entertainment. Since it resurfaced, it has been largely adopted in sports, games and other entertainment activities like films, comics, television shows among others. How do people relate to Capoeira in Brazil? Capoeira is a symbol of the Afro-Brazilian culture. It symbolizes the ethnic amalgam of the Brazilian population as well as resistance to oppression. Thus, it has become the image as well as source of pride to the people. The people of Brazil consider it as an intangible cultural heritage. For example, samba de roda, which is a traditional Afro-Brazilian dance as well as musical form, has been performed in Brazilian communities for many years (Talmon-Chvaicer 26). The dance and music is associated with capoeira. Today, capoeira is more than just martial art i n the Brazilian society. It has become a major exporter of Brazilian culture throughout the world. Brazilians view it as a means of earning income. Masters in the art of Capoeira have emigrated to the US and other countries since the 1970s to go teach the art. Each year, many Brazilians move to other countries to go train capoeira and earn income. Prominent capoeira masters are normally invited to train abroad while some go to establish their institutions. Again, most Brazilians see it as a way of earning income from tourism. Each year, Capoeira attracts many people to Brazil including students, tourists as well as foreign capoeiristas who come to learn the Portuguese language, which is the official Brazilian language, to better understand as well as become part of the art. Talmon-Chvaicer, Maya. The Hidden History of Capoeira: A Collision of Cultures in the Brazilian Battle Dance. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007. p. How popular is Capoeira? Elements of capoeira such as th eatrical, acrobatic as well as martiality have become very common across the globe. The Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, famous for its acrobatic movements as well as kicks, is a major characteristic of many movies, television shows, dance, music, comics as well as video games. For example, many professional wrestlers who currently work for World Wrestling Entertainment incorporate capoeira moves in their fights in the ring.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although Capoeira began in Brazil and is largely practised in the country, it has spread to other continents including Asia and Europe. Myers (1) reports that Capoeira is very popular among young adults as well as professionals in Bangalore city, India. They like the various aspects of capoeira especially the dance moves as music is played in the background. Its spread shows how representation of the unique Brazilian culture has manifested itself in many societies throughout the world. Most people enjoy rhythmic signatures of the capoeira moves. The orientation patterns formed when capoeira dancers engage in the motional process is enjoyed by people across cultures and nations (Assunà §o 42). Conclusion Capoeira which originally began as a survival tool in the harsh slavery environment in Brazil evolved to become an important part of Brazilian culture. It continues to spread across the globe as Brazilian martial experts move to other Myer, Frank. Capoeira Popular in Bangalore, Ind ia. Roda Magazine, 17 September, 2010. Web. Assunà §o, Matthias. Capoeira: A history of an Afro-Brazilian martial art. New York: Routlede, 2005. p. countries to train other people while others travel to Brazil to learn it. It has been incorporated in movies, television shows, comics among other sports and games, for entertainment, and this shows the extent of the capoeira’s popularity worldwide. Assunà §o, Matthias. Capoeira: A history of an Afro-Brazilian martial art. New York: Routlede, 2005. Print. Capoeira, Nestor. The Little Capoeira Book. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2003. Print. Myer, Frank. Capoeira Popular in Bangalore. India. Roda Magazine, 17 September, 2010. Web. Talmon-Chvaicer, Maya. The Hidden History of Capoeira: A Collision of Cultures in the Brazilian Battle Dance. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007. Print.

Effects of the Mongol Empire on Europe

Effects of the Mongol Empire on Europe In 1211, Genghis Khan (1167-1227) and his nomadic armies burst out from Mongolia and swiftly conquered most of Eurasia. The Great Khan died in 1227, but his sons and grandsons continued the expansion of the Mongol Empire across Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and into Europe.   Key Takeaways: Genghis Khan's Impact on Europe The spread of the bubonic plague from Central Asia into Europe decimated the populations but increased opportunities for the survivors.  Ã‚  An enormous variety of new consumer goods, agriculture, weaponry, religion, and medical science became available in Europe.  New diplomatic channels between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East were opened.  Russia became unified for the first time.   Starting in 1236, Genghis Khans third son, Ogodei, decided to conquer as much of Europe as he could. By 1240, the Mongols had control of what is now Russia and Ukraine, seizing Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary over the next few years. The Mongols also tried to capture Poland and Germany, but Ogodeis death in 1241 and the succession struggle that followed distracted them from this mission. In the end, the Mongols Golden Horde ruled over a vast swath of eastern Europe, and rumors of their approach terrified western Europe, but they went no farther west than Hungary. At their height, the rulers of the Mongol Empire conquered, occupied, and controlled more than twice the amount of land and twice the population as any other family in human history.   Shepherd, William. Historical Atlas. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1911/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain The Mongol Invasion of Europe Reports of the Mongol attacks terrified Europe. The Mongols increased their empire using swift and decisive attacks with an armed and disciplined cavalry. They wiped out the populations of some entire towns that resisted, as was their usual policy, depopulating some regions and confiscating the crops and livestock from others. This type of total warfare spread panic even among Europeans not directly affected by the Mongol onslaught and sent refugees fleeing westward. Perhaps even more importantly, the Mongol conquest of central Asia and eastern Europe allowed a deadly disease - the bubonic plague - to travel from its home range in western China and Mongolia to Europe along newly-restored trade routes. The bubonic plague was endemic to fleas that live on marmots in the steppes of eastern central Asia, and the Mongol hordes inadvertently brought those fleas across the continent, unleashing the plague on Europe. Between 1300 and 1400, the Black Death killed about 35 percent of Chinas people, its population dropping from 115 million to 75 million. In Europe, an estimated 25 percent of the people died, decreased the population from an estimated 79 million to 60 million.   Positive Effects of the Mongols Although the Mongol invasion of Europe sparked terror and disease, in the long run, it had enormous positive impacts.  The foremost was what historians call the Pax Mongolica, a century of peace (circa 1280-1360) among neighboring peoples who were all under Mongol rule. This peace allowed for the reopening of the Silk Road trading routes between China and Europe, increasing cultural exchange and wealth all along the trade paths. Central Asia was a region that had always been important to overland trade between China and the West. As the region became stable under the Pax Mongolica, trade became less risky under the various empires, and as cross-cultural interactions became more and more intensive and extensive, more and more goods were traded.   Spread of Technology Within the Pax Mongolica, the sharing of knowledge, information, and cultural identity was encouraged. Citizens could legally become followers of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, or anything else - as long as their practice didnt interfere with the political ambitions of the Khan. The Pax Mongolica also allowed monks, missionaries, traders, and explorers to travel along the trade routes. One famous example is the Venetian trader and explorer Marco Polo, who traveled to the court of Genghis Khans grandson Kublai Khan (Quibilai) at Xanadu in China.   Some of the most fundamental ideas and technologies in the world - papermaking, printing, and gunpowder manufacturing, among many others - made their way across Asia via the Silk Road. Migrants, merchants, explorers, pilgrims, refugees, and soldiers brought along with them their disparate religious and cultural ideas and domesticated animals, plants, flowers, vegetables, and fruit as they joined this gigantic cross-continental exchange. As historian Ma Debin describes it, the Silk Road was the original melting pot, the lifeline of the Eurasian continent. Effects of the Mongol Conquest Before the Mongol Empire, Europeans and Chinese were largely unaware of the others existence. Trade established along the Silk Road in the first centuries B.C.E. had become rare, dangerous, and unpredictable. Long-distance trade, human migration, and imperial expansion actively engaged people in different societies in significant cross-cultural interactions. Afterward, interactions between the two were not only possible but encouraged.  Ã‚   Diplomatic contacts and religious missions were established over vast distances. Islamic merchants helped gain a footing for their faith at the extreme ends of the Eastern Hemisphere, spreading from southeast Asia and west Africa and across northern India and Anatolia.   Alarmed, western Europeans and the Mongol rulers of China sought a diplomatic alliance with one another against the Muslims in southwest Asia. Europeans sought to convert Mongols to Christianity and establish a Christian community in China. The Mongols saw the spread as a threat. Neither of these initiatives was successful, but the opening of political channels made a substantive difference.   Transfer of Scientific Knowledge The entire overland route of the Silk Road witnessed a vigorous revival under the Pax Mongolica. Its rulers actively worked to ensure the safety of the trade routes, building effective post stations and rest stops, introducing the use of paper money and eliminating artificial trade barriers. By 1257, Chinese raw silk appeared in the silk-producing area of Italy, and in the 1330s, a single merchant sold thousands of pounds of silk in Genoa.   The Mongolians absorbed scientific knowledge from Persia, India, China, and Arabia. Medicine became one of the many areas of life and culture that flourished under Mongol rule. Keeping an army healthy was vital, so they created hospitals and training centers to encourage the exchange and expansion of medical knowledge. As a result, China employed doctors from India and the Middle East, all of which was communicated to European centers. Kublai Khan founded an institution for the study of Western medicine. The Persian historian Rashid al-Din (1247-1318) published the first known book on Chinese medicine outside China in 1313. Unification of Russia The Golden Hordes occupation of eastern Europe also unified Russia. Prior to the period of Mongol rule, the Russian people were organized into a series of small self-governing city-states, the most notable being Kiev. In order to throw off the Mongol yoke, the Russian-speaking peoples of the region had to unite. In 1480, the Russians - led by the Grand Duchy of Moscow (Muscovy) - managed to defeat and expel the Mongols. Although Russia has since been invaded several times by the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte and the German Nazis, it has never again been conquered. The Beginnings of Modern Fighting Tactics One final contribution that the Mongols made to Europe is difficult to categorize as good or bad. The Mongols introduced two deadly Chinese inventions - guns and gunpowder - to the West. The new weaponry sparked a revolution in European fighting tactics, and the many warring states of Europe all strove over the following centuries to improve their firearms technology. It was a constant, multisided arms race, which heralded the end of knightly combat and the beginning of modern standing armies. In the centuries to come, European states would muster their new and improved guns first for piracy, to seize control over parts of the oceangoing silk and spices trade, and then eventually to impose European colonial rule over much of the world. Ironically, the Russians used their superior firepower in the 19th and 20th centuries to conquer many of the lands that had been part of the Mongol Empire, including outer Mongolia where Genghis Khan was born. Sources   Bentley, Jerry H. Cross-Cultural Interaction and Periodization in World History. The American Historical Review, Vol. 101, No. 3, Oxford University Press, JSTOR, June 1996. Davis-Kimball, Jeannine. Asia, Central, Steppes. Encyclopedia of Archaeology, Academic Press, ScienceDirect, 2008. Di Cosmo, Nicola. Black Sea Emporia and the Mongol Empire: A Reassessment of the Pax Mongolica. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Volume 53: Issue 1-2, Brill, January 1, 2009. Flynn, Dennis O. (Editor). Pacific Centuries: Pacific and Pacific Rim Economic History since the 16th Century. Routledge Explorations in Economic History, Lionel Frost (Editor), A.J.H. Latham (Editor), 1st Edition, Routledge, February 10, 1999. Ma, Debin. The Great Silk Exchange: How the World Was Connected and Developed. CiteSeer, The College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2019. Pederson, Neil. Pluvials, droughts, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia. Amy E. Hessl, Nachin Baatarbileg, et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, March 25, 2014. Perdue, Peter C. Boundaries, Maps, and Movement: Chinese, Russian, and Mongolian Empires in Early Modern Central Eurasia. Volume 20, 1998 - Issue 2, The International History Review, Informa UK Limited, December 1, 2010. Safavi-Abbasi, S. The fate of medical knowledge and the neurosciences during the time of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire. Neurosurg Focus, Brasiliense LB, Workman RK, et al., National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2007, Bethesda MD.