The Wonders of Ballet and Capoeira
Studying the origins of ballet and capoeira led to many surprising findings in both fields. Ballet is such a popular form of dance that I thought I knew more than enough about it. However, in terms of its origins, my assumptions were completely wrong. Ballet is seen as the epitome of grace and all things feminine when in fact, it originated through the prim and proper attitudes of 16th century swordsmen and court officials. Swordsmanship is usually not considered the most graceful of sports but out of it came the foundations of ballet. This knowledge was a sort of disappointment to me and changed the way I began to view ballet performances. In all of my dance papers I have spoken of how ballet embodies femininity, grace, and beauty that is usually associated with women. Now when I watch, I appreciate the technicality more. I’ve lost the connection in terms of its emotional value; I simply notice the jumps and leg technique and think, “Oh, yes I can see some masculine qualities in that technique”. The delicacy attributed to women seems forced to me now because I know its true roots. However, as said by George Borodin, “Ballet is not technique but a way of expression that comes more closely to the inner language of man than any other”. My greater insight into ballet has shown me that the dance is not about conveying feminine qualities of delicacy and grace, but about conveying the ‘inner language’ of all men.
Capoeira was a complete new discovery to me and all the aspects of it that I learned drew me closer to the dance. Prof. Ender spoke in class in terms of what makes capoeira a dance and not a martial art. Once again, its origins reveal the answer. It is a dance brought forth by the desire of freedom. In my opinion, it is more heartfelt than ballet because it seemed to evolve out of a feeling and then become rules, while ballet seemed to have been a set of rules to which emotion was later added. Capoeira basically involves attempts to sweep, kick, and headbutt another while trying to avoid being hit yourself. In most capoeira dances however, there is few contact with the intent of hurting the other participant. They are not opponents, they are merely actors in a scene of their past. I too wondered if capoeira was merely a martial art but seeing the emotion involved in it, the kind of emotion I felt I lost in ballet, made the dance easier to relate to. I could now see the frustration of enslavement in the dancers and how they try to convey it without being harmed. Its a beautiful dance, one that one in which learning its origins is not optional for comprehension.