Mestre Sabiá da Bahia On Capoeira Today

Those who attended workshops by Mestre Sabiá da Bahia for Ginga Mundo Atlanta's 3rd batizado had the pleasure of listening to a profound capoeira mestre talk about fundamentals, tradition, evolution, and the essence of capoeira. For just 27 short years in capoeira, you might think he had been around for much longer. Students and teachers alike asked some good, some tough questions, and one answer in particular really caught my attention.

Sabiá suggests that capoeira, as it has been growing throughout the world, has been losing some of its essence—which isn't perfectly defined, but includes things like camaraderie and respect—and sucumbing to the vanity of people who practice it. This isn't a necessary change, he said, and he admitted that he's in favor of both the evolution of capoeira and the preservation of capoeira's essence. This relates to my earlier post, Is Capoeira Angola Traditional Capoeira?, which I finished by expressing that capoeira traditionally is about social change. Maybe that's the essence Sabiá was referring to.

Mestre Sabiá values difference above all. He advertises for his events that there are representatives from Angola, Regional, and Contemporânea. It's in this difference that we learn from each other and capoeira continues to grow. I found this to be an interesting way to say, "Even after 27 years, I don't know where capoeira is going and how it will evolve."

All we can do is our own part.

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