Comparative study of Breakdance and Capoeira

Antony GARDEZ
INSA-2
2007












Comparative study of Capoeira and
Breakdance










Attention: Mr Alain Souillard
Cultural Studies

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Index


INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 4
PRESENTATION OF THE CORPUS ............................................................................................... 5
ANALYSIS OF THE DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................... 6
Analysis of the interviews ................................................................................................... 6
Analysis of the videos ......................................................................................................... 8
GENERAL LAWS..................................................................................................................... 10
CORPUS ................................................................................................................................. 12
Historical summary of capoeira....................................................................................... 12
Interview with Mestre Gato Preto .................................................................................... 13
Interview with Ken Swift .................................................................................................. 17
Videos ............................................................................................................................... 23
















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Introduction

In this essay, we will be considering two forms of art, that we could consider as dances,
namely breakdance and capoeira. We will try to understand if there are some links, if they can
be close in some ways, and different in some others.

I decided to write an essay on this since I have been practicing breakdance myself for more
than five years, and started to learn capoeira this year. Some time ago, I used to think those
two arts were quite similar, since dancers perform various acrobatics and get on the floor on a
pretty regular basis. I wanted to develop my thoughts on that, try to understand the origins and
their influence.
As a matter of fact, I had the opportunity to discover those two arts by myself, by practicing,
but I believe that a lot of people do not really know what each of these arts is. On top of that,
medias are using breakdance as well as capoeira in advertisings in order to give a dynamic
vision of some products, and therefore people only see some parts of it.

Then, I started to look for relevant documents. I knew I would also talk about my personal
experiences, but I needed some reliable visions. Therefore, in order to find appropriate
documents, I spent a lot of time on the internet. As a matter of fact it would not be easy to find
interviews or event reports in newspapers. Even the ones I found on news websites did not
match my expectations: indeed, since the journalists did not know very well what they were
talking about, it would not have been of great interest for my study.
Therefore I had to explore dancer online communities and websites providing videos. That is
how I came up with both of my interviews. As for the videos, that is maybe the part of this
essay on which I have spent the more time. After having watched dozens of videos, trying to
find really relevant ones, I finally selected one video for each dance.







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Presentation of the corpus

Let us now consider these documents.
The first of the latter is a translation of an interview with Mestre Gato Preto published in
Capoeira Magazine number 4. As a Mestre, he has practiced capoeira for more than 50 years
and is still teaching it at the age of 70. Through the questions, he tells us what his vision of
capoeira is and how he developed it.
Secondly, I wanted to find an interview concerning breakdance that would also contain a
global vision from someone equivalent to a capoeira mestre, in other word someone reliable.
That is the reason why I decided to study an interview of Ken Swift that was published in
Graphotism Magazine number 14 in 1999. I found this article on the online breakdance
community BBoyWorld.com. We learn how breakdance started and what it gradually became
from one of the precursors.

In addition to those two interviews, given that Ken Swift recalls how breakdance was born, I
decided to make a quick historical summary of capoeira, after having read information on
various websites.

Let us now focus on the videos. The first fact is that the breakdance video is longer than the
capoeira one. Unfortunately I was compelled to choose these two ones to point out the major
differences and similarities. The capoeira video is a compilation of extracts from various
events. I do not have much information on that one, except the fact that it focuses on
Professor Eberson, a capoeirista from Brasilia. It was posted by Mastabiff on Youtube.com.
Besides, I would like to point out the fact that the breakdance video is an extract from a DVD
of the IBE, International Breakdance Event, taking place in Rotterdam. The two teams facing
are ‘dream-teams’ from Germany and the USA. It was posted by the Youtube user
iHATEracist.






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Analysis of the documents

I would like to start this analysis by comparing the history of both of these arts. It should be
noted that even though capoeira is really older than breakdance, we can find some similarities.
As a matter of fact they were both born among a specific social community. Capoeira results
from the need for slaves to express themselves and escape from their masters. Breakdance
was born in the streets of the Bronx, in New York City, surrounded by poverty, blood,
burning buildings: people also needed to find an occupation in order to escape. If we take a
closer look at the history of capoeira, blood and crime are present too. Indeed it has been
illegal for several years due to criminal behaviours after the abolition of slavery.
However, this evolved, and as Ken Swift says he is now performing on stage, in front of
various people, dancers or not, getting applauses. Capoeira is now taught in various countries
around the world. You will agree with me that despite this evolution, traditions are still alive,
and that is something I will try to point out in the study of the two interviews.
Analysis of the interviews

To begin with, I would like to insist on one particular point, which is the vision of those arts
as real ways of living. According to both the interviewees, their arts are ‘something that you
feel inside’ and ‘will never end’.
There are numerous cultural aspects, various signs. For instance, a new capoeirista is given a
nickname during a batizado (baptism): capoeira has even some religious aspects. Concerning
nicknames in breakdance, we get to know that every B-Boy has a specific nickname, and even
sometimes various ones. As in capoeira, they can sometimes be made of two parts, the first
being ‘little’ or ‘kid’: for instance there are João Pequeño and João Grande in capoeira, Kid
Zoom and Lil’ Lep in breakdance. In the latter, it is chosen in an effort to be different, unique,
to prove that you create your own style as you create your nickname.
Regarding music, a B-Boy needs music to dance, and that is what helps him create. It
progressively becomes a sort of addiction, and I sometimes myself feel a need to get on my
hands or dance a little when listening to some songs. Ken Swift indeed tells his interviewer
the following thing : ‘I’ll always be a B-Boy, and there’s always gonna be someone out there
that could push my buttons, or some music that can push my buttons, and there’s a time when
I have no control of myself, and I need to break. Not that I plan it, it’s like yo, I hear shit, I
don’t give a fuck where I’m at. If I feel like spinning on my head, or doing a swipe or a 90 or
freeze, I’ll do it’. As for capoeira, Mestre Gato Preto mentions some instruments played while

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practicing, such as the berimbau. I will get into detail about the relation to music later on,
while analysing the videos.

At this point, I would like to say that these arts need perseverance but can help you become a
man of wisdom. Ken swift points out that breakdance helps you know yourself better. He says
he is his own best challenge. This is also noticeable in capoeira: mestres such as Gato Preto
practice capoeira for over 50 years. They played capoeira to feel better, to express and find
themselves. Even when money entered in the roda, the basis was still respect and players still
hugged at the end of a game, sharing the money with the other capoeiristas. The vision of
money presented in this interview reflects a total disinterest. Players actually never played
capoeira in order to earn their living: capoeira is a passion, a culture, a way of life, but is not
supposed to replace a job.
Speaking of culture, Hip-hop culture is reflected in Ken Swift’s interview by the words and
expressions he uses. There is a lot of contractions and slang. This is a reflection of his street
culture. Being a B-Boy is being part of this whole Hip-Hop culture. As far as I am concerned,
I do not use slang, but I know I am influenced in my clothes and in some of my thoughts by
this culture, and I am convinced that this makes breakdance a real culture.

As I said previously, breakdance and capoeira are about wisdom and evolution, through
respect. The interviews are really interesting on these points. B-Boys are always in an
evolution, always need to battle to show their skills and style. That is the way it was and still
is. Each time one does something ‘dope’, the other wants to do better, and that is how a b-boy
progresses and pushes his limits.
During my lessons of capoeira at INSA, I had the opportunity to meet various capoeiristas: a
Brazilian one, but also a French INSA student who has been practicing for 4 years and
another for 12 years. I noticed by myself that with more experience, capoeiristas get more
confident, more fluid, but do not particularly master more movements. I believe that this is a
manifestation of the capoeira notion of wisdom. Though they obviously get more skilled, they
evolve rather in a cultural and mental approach.
By the way, I would like to point out the different point of view on the learning of new
moves. A B-Boy always creates, should never copy: as Ken Swift said, at the beginning, when
you asked for a piece of advice, you were considered as a ‘sucker’. On the contrary a
capoeirista have to learn and master every move: ‘capoeira has 180 blows and 180
counterattacks. […] It is necessary to know, discover, and face all the attacks.’

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As mentioned before, Mestre Gato Preto’s interview stresses as well the fact that there is
some sort of respect, of a hierarchy. As a matter of fact, while telling us how he started
capoeira, he mentions numerous famous mestres with whom he practiced, therefore justifying
his remarkable evolution, and so does the interviewer. Even in breakdance, there is a respect
to original style mentioned by Ken Swift, there are numerous famous old-school B-Boys.

I would like now to draw your attention to these original notions. There is a need to stick to
the roots, and the presence of a real heritage. If we consider Ken Swift’s definition of what a
B-Boy was at the beginning, that is something that perpetuates: as a matter of fact I did
practice breakdance on the concrete too, in the hall of the Rouen railway station for several
months, forming circles and battling each others.

Finally, I would like to conclude this part of my analysis by stressing the moderate decline of
both these arts.
As a matter of fact, Ken Swift deplores that new B-Boys do not see Breakdance as whole but
rather as a sport, or a sort of gymnastic. Lots of people only do power-moves, acrobatics. It
mirrors the decline of capoeira: new adepts claim themselves as capoeiristas or B-Boys but do
not understand the link with music, the link with the origins. I must admit that, as any other
beginner, I was quite surprised by the importance of music and singing in capoeira, and when
I started breakdance I only wanted to get on my hands. However, I now feel the ‘essence’ of
breakdance, and I gradually learnt to enjoy dancing. This art is about style and dance, not only
power-moves and gym. For Ken Swift, winning in a circle or a battle is not getting the votes,
it is more about ‘ripping the record’. Dancing, musicality is what counts the most. As for
capoeira, it would not have survived if capoeiristas had not disguised it as a dance with its
music and singings.
Analysis of the videos

In order to understand the way capoeira and breakdance are practiced, we now need to
consider the two videos. First of all, let us draw the major guidelines.
In both, we realise that the audience is forming a circle, called ‘la roda’ in capoeira. People
are either standing or sat. A few things more are similar: we can notice that the dancers
perform inside the circle, and that there is a sort of confrontation. What I mean is that in
breakdance, we have two teams, two ‘crews’, dancing one at a time. Dancers indeed mostly

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perform one by one in front of the rival team, trying to intimidate or impress them. When one
of the others is dancing, they also try to distract them. As for capoeira, we also have a
confrontation, but people perform together, two by two, using kicks, sweeps, jumps and
dodges. We can therefore draw a first conclusion: those two arts are both about a fight. Indeed
B-Boys use the word ‘battle’ to refer to such events, and I would like to emphasize the fact
that there is always a speaker to make sure that everything is alright.
Just one more thing, it is quite unusual nowadays to see a battle with no judges, which makes
this one even more ‘underground’, closer to the roots of breakdance.

Secondly, by taking into account the various signs of those videos, we can get some useful
information. Let us proceed methodically.
When considering the dancers’ clothes, we can realise that there is a large cultural influence.
Even though a B-Boy’s clothes are totally different from a capoerista’s, we understand that
they both follow specific guidelines. The hip-hop culture is widely implemented in
breakdance: people wear large clothes, caps, sneakers, etc. Capoeiristas are mostly wearing
white pants with a white t-shirt, leaving their feet bare. As I said previously, these cultural
aspects are also linked to notions like respect. B-Boys often shake hands, capoeiristas give
hugs, even after a tough game as represented at the end of the video.
Another interesting characteristic is the relation to music. In capoeira, music is made by the
players themselves, and they also sing. Besides, when entering in a roda, players always meet
in front of the musicians. When practicing capoeira myself, I also got to know that when a
song is over, players get back to the musicians until another one starts. Afterwards, once in
the roda, players practice on the rhythm, which only defines the pace. On the other hand, in
breakdance, music is not made by the dancers but by a DJ. However, it is a key element for
the dancers that make various moves and dance steps on it.

That leads us to the final point, namely the moves themselves. Both arts are performed
standing as well as on the floor or in the air. B-Boys usually dance a little on the music, which
shows that style is very important since they all have different steps. Subsequently, as B-Boy
Lego and Vausan at the beginning of the video, they do some footwork, that is to say they
dance on the floor, and finally they get on their hands and block, thus doing a ‘freeze’, or they
start a ‘power-move’, i.e. a complex continuous move. By the way, one can notice that every
move is decomposed, marked. Conversely, capoeira do not follow a specific pattern since
everything depends on the other’s movements: if one attacks, the other lean or jump in order

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to dodge and then kick back. It is easy to realise that for both of these arts, there is really few
choreographies, that everything is improvised: B-Boys adapt on the beat and their opponent’s
last routine, capoeiristas build on the partner’s attitude, and the challenge is therefore to keep
on being fluid. Finally, I would like to stress that even though a lot of moves are common, a
capoerista will never fall on his bottom and therefore get booed.

Just one more thing, while watching B-Boy Abi at 5:45, we understand what Ken Swift meant
by disrespect and jealousy towards the original style. Of course it is impressive, but this man
is not dancing, he is more like a gymnast showing his skills. He does not feel the music, do
not express his own style. Those two videos show both traditional and new behaviours.
People are still acting as before, about the circles for example, but the place has changed: it is
not anymore only performed in the streets, on sand or on the concrete, and it starts to be a sort
of show. Dancers are here equally for themselves and for the public, to get applauded.

General laws

To conclude this essay, I will now draw some general laws pointed out by my analysis.

To begin with, let us consider the similarities.
First of all, It should be noted that since there are some acrobatic and complicated moves,
capoeira and breakdance could be considered as sports. However, limit these arts to sport
would lead to a total misunderstanding. There is indeed a very influential culture behind them,
coming from history, but also from a common vision of respect and peace. They are complex
arts, linking music, dance, but also fight, and they unfortunately both suffer from an
inadequate promotion through the media that promotes aesthetics rather than the various
cultural aspects.
Visually, apart from the specific layout in circles and a relative resemblance, there is another
similarity: dancers are close to the floor, and this could be interpreted as a reflection of the
street culture, of the fact that the first B-Boys and the first capoeiristas did not have anything,
and therefore expressed themselves in their environment. Besides, I would like to emphasize
that there are no national federation, no real international events, since capoeira and
breakdance are still consider as ‘exotic’ arts.


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