Capoeira Class in Fulham

‘Capoeira? Bring a towel. And water. And a bible.’

Such was the declaration of my friend who actually recommended capoeira to me. That hardcore?  Suppose I’d find out…

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art-style dance (or dance-style martial art, depending on how you look at it), better known to those from the UK as That Thing Those Guys in the BBC Advert Did. So guess who was teaching the class? Mestre Poncianinho, better known as One Of Those Guys From That BBC Ad. A celebrity!

Fulham’s Dance Attic apparently provides only the best teachers. Ponciano, as he is more familiarly known, does quite a bit of TV work, including a cameo on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (that evil Durmstrang lot; they get up to all sorts) and Vanity Fair. More importantly, he’s been doing capoeira for 25 years, since he was just a tiny tot in São Paulo.

The class is done to a background of African drumming, and capoeira itself dates back to the days of African slavery in Brazil. We settle into some warm-ups and some basic steps. Several of the moves seem quite break-dancey, which causes my stomach to lurch with anxiety: I’m rubbish at break-dancing. My shoulders just don’t bend that way. But capoeira proves to be much more flowing, and I think that my body might just be able to cope.

There’s room for variation between standards, here; the moment we get into smaller groups, those who are better can move faster, and with more complexity (while I stick firmly to the basics). It’s very physical; the whole body moves with the rhythm, and there’s an awful lot of sweat.

But the whole crazy thing falls into place towards the end of the class when everyone pairs up and actually starts to spar/dance together; you know, the point of being there in the first place. Until this moment, the whole concept has baffled me: a dance that adheres to no strict rhythm or pattern; a martial art that not only has no power behind its strikes but is actively aiming for no contact…it’s a bit beyond my comprehension. But watching it done properly and having a go yourself… it seems a bit like learning another language. Nonetheless it’s remarkably liberating, and quite relaxing once you stop panicking at limbs coming serenely towards your head. And the atmosphere is incredibly supportive; you don’t need to worry about looking like an idiot.

So if you want to try something a bit different – and there really is nothing else like this – then give capoeira a go. You might be pleasantly surprised, if a bit achy.

Capoeira classes run five times a week at:

Dance Attic
368 North End Road
Fulham
SW6 1LY

Tel: 020 7610 2055
www.danceattic.com/Schedule1.htm

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering what I was on about, here’s the link to that advert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB6dZX4fE9Y