| dc.description.abstract | What happens when Capoeira is taken from a social or ritualistic context and put on a stage to serve a different purpose. In this research, I investigate what distinguishes these new contexts from the original context in which Capoeira was created. What happens to the meaning of the practice in this new context? Moreover, how does this new context contribute to the future of the practice? I investigate these questions by looking at the ritual and performance practices of the art, starting from its formation period to where we are today. With the help of performance and ritual theories from scholars such as Richard Schechner, Van Gennep, and Victor turner, I distinguish between performance and ritual within the practice of Capoeira. I further examine what these practices mean in today’s era, where we live in different times than when Capoeira was first created. The methods of this thesis include first identifying the ritual and performance aspects of the practice and then tracing these through its literature, secondary sources, and in my fieldwork, and finally analyzing this data.
Capoeira went from being a folk activity practiced by a small minority in Brazil to a global phenomenon that has reached all corners of the globe. I looked at how folklore performances, artistic innovations, and the modernization of the stage versions of Capoeira contributed to its global popularity and its spread around the world. The discoveries in this research have shown that features such as artistic innovation and high art performances of Capoeira are not inventions of the 21st century but can be traced as far back as the 1950s. The detailed work of Ana Paula Hofling helps to shed light on this matter, exposing a feature of Capoeira that has only made it to the footnotes of history books. Her work shows that part of the Capoeira we see today is thanks to these artistic innovations made for the stage, which eventually found their way back to the off-stage practice of Capoeira and enriched its vocabulary. Another focus is also the ritual practices of Capoeira, looking into how they are understood today when the Capoeira we know today exists in a different context. Through this text, we see Capoeira’s many characteristics, which make it difficult to classify under one category; Dance, fight, sport, game, play, and many more. Finally, we see that Capoeira as an Artistic expression, adds to these characteristics and has been for a very long time.
Keywords: Capoeira, ritual, performance, artistic performance, | |