PGCA Martial Boogie.mp3

Meste Pastinha

Click on photo for a Brief History of the PGCA Crest

Ed "Cubano" Martin (PGCA Head of Curriculum) with his Teacher, in Capoeira de Angola, Mestre Joao Grande.


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Obatala:  Keeper of the White Cloth
The “SACRED MOVEMENTS” of  PGCA CAPOEIRA

 Capoeira de Angola is an African Martial Science based in the ancient art of Ngolo, also known as the “Zebra Dance”. This was part of the Rites of Passage that was required for young men and women in West African societies as they made their transition from childhood to adulthood. The adult who possessed the greatest skill was considered to be more valuable than Gold.

Today, this art assists in teaching our children how to be effective members of society; having respect for self, respect for elders, respect for family respect for the community, and respect for our planet.                      

We are Pastinha's Garden of Capoeira de Angola.
We are of the Linage of Mestre Pastinha through
Mestre Joao Grande. We only pass on the
Traditional Capoeira de Angola as handed down from Mestre Joao Grande to Ed “Cubano” Martin.

"Eu tenho dois irmãos
Todos dois, chama João
Um joga pelo ar
Outro joga pelo chão
Se um é cobra mansa
Sei que o outro é gavião, camaradinho"      Pastinha...

"They will be the greatest Capoeira players of the future and I have worked hard with them, and for them, to achieve this. They will be true masters. Not just impromptu teachers, as can be found anywhere, who only destroy our tradition which is so beautiful. I've taught everything I know to these young men. Even the Cat's Leap (O Pulo do gato). That's why I have the greatest hopes regarding their future."                 Vicente Ferreira Pastinha

Physical Poetry

Capoeira is a Game.  It has been referred to as a physical conversation between two bodies in motion.  I like to use the phrase “Physical Poetry”.  Although Poetry is not necessarily improvised, a true poet has mastery over vocabulary and its usage.  The Flow from which a Poet articulates varies in timing and rhythms.  The Angoleiro is like that Poet.  An Angoleiro is a “Physical Poet”.  His improvised movements seem to appear from out of nowhere and then disappear again.  The Angoleiro’s ability to spontaneously expand and contract is like unto the poet’s ability to “flip the script” and take his listeners in a whole other direction.  

Capoeira de Angola is also like a physical game of chess.  In chess there are 16 pieces on the Black side as well as on the White side; Capoeira de Angola plays the Black Side of the board.  The “Black” side is the defensive side.  Likewise, Capoeira de Angola is a defensive art. Mestre Pastinha (may peace be upon him) has described Capoeira by saying that it is not an offensive fight:  “Capoeira Waits.”   

In chess, there are a certain number of moves but the possibilities are limitless.  As no two chess games are the same, the Game of Capoeira de Angola also contains infinite possibilities.  As no two opponents play chess alike, so too does Capoeira have such verity of expression.  A good Chess player is at least two moves ahead of his opponent.  He uses bate to cause his opponent to open himself up.  The opponent may see the Black Queen open to an attack and take that opportunity only to find out that the Queen was a lure.  The Angoleiro also capitalizes on this type of chicanery.  He may leave himself to appear vulnerable to an attack, like a worm on a hook, in the hopes that his opponent will take the bate.  He may also show an attack causing his opponent to respond in a certain way.  If the opponent is unwitting…  It’s “Check Mate”.

Our opponent in the Jogo de Capoeira is very important. It is our opponent who brings out the best in our game.  Some opponents like to make physical contact while others play without touching one another.  As an Angoleiro, it becomes necessary to know who it is that we are entering into the Roda with.  We gain this insight by watching.  Today, in many schools, take downs are being taught to those who

 

 

Brother Jason and his son play for Mestre Joao Grande at Ngolo Arts Workshop.



have no understanding of the danger or the harm that they can cause their opponent.  They learn such moves and then do them in the Roda causing injury to someone who is just here to play a game.  The Jogo de Angola is not a Karate tournament; there are no points for physical contact.  The admiration comes from the Physical Poetry.  Physical Poetry is a game without touching.  Having the ability to "play" without touching our opponent brings out the Jogo Bonito (Beautiful Game).  To play without touching requires the mind set that we are playing “with” our opponent as apposed to playing “against” our opponent.  When we play “with” our opponent, they should feel challenged but at the same time be free to express his or herself to the fullest of his or her curriculum.  When my opponent launches a strike, my job is to avoid that strike and launch a strike of my own at which point my opponent avoids my strike and launches yet another strike.  It is the weaving together of these techniques that keeps the action fluid.  The longer we can continue this back and forth, the more expressive the game becomes. When we start putting our feet on one another, the game just gets sloppy and ego driven and eventually turns into a wrestling match.  Too many people, in my opinion, are in awe with those Angoleiros who thrive on abusing less experienced players.

 Respecting the Moves 

When we play the “game” we must respect the movements of the other practitioner.  Too many times, I have seen Capoeistas ignore their opponents’ strike in order to pull off a sweep or a strike of their own.  They are not “respecting the movement.”  The name of the game is to avoid the strike, not ignore it.  In the Jogo de Capoeira de Angola, the opponent should know the effectiveness of the strike and act accordingly.  In other words, the opponent should respect the movement even if the movement is in slow motion. It should not be necessary for the practitioner to literally kick his opponent for his opponent to understand that the strike is effective.  And, if we don’t wish to be kicked, we must “respect the movement.”

 
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