He enters the room like a cat. Not your ordinary housecat. A jaguar, perhaps, or a panther. One of those sleek warriors whose smooth, fast movement through space makes it seem they are embracing the air. In stillness, his inner strength and dignity radiate, as do theirs.
Then he smiles. Bahian sunshine spills from his heart to fill the room.
Meet Jelon Vieira, capoeira master and founder of DanceBrazil, a world-class dance company based in New York City and Bahia. This year, DanceBrazil celebrates its 25th anniversary. Choreographer Vieira bases his work on the movements and 'jogos' of capoeira, Brazil's popular dance/martial art that is characterized by acrobatic high jumps and complex body postures. While it takes a master like Vieira to perform an intricate airborne maneuver, people can be seen practicing more fundamental capoeira on the beaches and back streets of Brazil. It is taught in Brazil and around the world in workshops and classes. In Rio's Zona Norte and Boca do Rio, near Salvador, young people from the favelas are now being offered classes in capoeira to help them get stronger mentally as well as physically. To practice capoeira well, you need self-discipline and a strong sense of values: self-respect and respect for fellow capoeiristas are mandatory.
"Ginga: a capoeira documentary," directed by Bahian filmmaker Gustavo Moraes, is the story of how Jelon Vieira's capoeira training inspired five young people from Boca do Rio, a poor district in the outskirts of Salvador. One of the basic movements in capoeira, the "ginga" is performed by leaning on your front leg, then quickly swing your back leg across and in front so that your body swings effortlessly while in a crouching position. Ginga means "swing" in Portuguese. It's an essential element to the natural rhythm of Brazilian music, dance, and spirit.
After meeting Vieira in New York City where he was studying filmmaking at Columbia University, film director Gustavo Moraes became curious about Vieira's dedication to the young people of his hometown. "I started gathering information n why such a successful man with an established career in New York was interested in helping young kids in Bahia. His drive to give back and to use capoeira as a teaching school really got me excited," says Moraes. The initial concept for a documentary about Vieira's capoeira classes in Salvador morphed into a theme-based film that explores the heart of capoeira itself. "It morphed into a look at the capoeiristas' lives and how they had been touched by Jelon's ideals. It is difficult to understand the magic until you see the results in those kids' eye," he says.
Filmed over a 2-year period beginning in May 2000, the documentary takes you behind-the-scenes into the working class neighborhoods of Boca do Rio where 5 teenagers were preparing to join DanceBrazil. In mentoring his students, Vieira models focus, commitment, and dedication to capoeira. In the film, he tells his students,
"I find inspiration in capoeira."
So do his students: "Capoeira is like sex, love, making love," says one.
"If capoeira is in your blood, it's your way of life."
"Through capoeira, I will achieve my dreams."
Those dreams - dancing on the stage of the Joyce Theater in New York City as part of the DanceBrazil company and finding opportunities for a better life - would come true for five young men and women of Boca do Rio.
The dream of making his documentary came true for Gus Moraes, but not without the willingness of the capoeirista to let him into their capoeira family.
"I am not a capoeirista myself. And without Jelon, I would never be able to get that close to the capoeiristas themselves," Moraes says. "A good capoeirista is always aware of a new person around them. However, they were very open to me and allowed a non-capoeirista to become part of the capoeira family."
The spirit of the "roda," the circle formation within which capoeira is played, ties the film together. "Capoeira taught me about being in a community," says one student. "Ginga" also shows how the "roda" can become a symbol and a source of strength throughout life. Another of Vieira's students sums it up: "When we prepare to enter the ‘roda,’ we need to prepare to face our problems. Because in life you can't turn your back on a problem once it shows up."
Ginga on Stage and Screen
"Ginga" was filmed with the support of DanceBrazil's board members Mary Jane Marcasiano, Sara Burke, Robert LoCascio, Neda Young, and others who prefer anonymity. It premiered on November 8, 2004 in New York City at a gathering hosted by DanceBrazil and Brazilian Ambassador Julio C. Gomes dos Santos and will be released in Brazil later this year. For information on showcases and film festivals where the documentary can be seen, contact Gus Moraes
For information on DanceBrazil's gala concert "Noite na Bahia" on March 1, 2005 at the Joyce Theater in New York City, contact DanceBrazil or visit the group’s website for a complete schedule of concerts and performances in Brazil, the U.S., and Europe.
For more on BrazilMax about capoeira films, click here.
Order capoeira gear, CDs, DVDs and more on Amazon.com.
