Verified Document

Manginga EM Manhattan Term Paper

Mandinga EM Manhattan Very few people have heard about the Brazilian martial art form known as capoeira. In the film Mandinga EM Manhattan, documentary filmmaker Lazaro Faria explores how capoeira started and spread throughout the world. When people hear the term "martial art" they probably think of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan performing karate or kung fu. Although those both have a certain beauty in the ways that the body moves, there is something extremely beautiful about capoeira. Unlike other martial arts which are more about physical defense, capoeira is a combination of physical defense and dance. There are complicated moves that show a person's speed, agility, and physical power. Capoeira dancers are as graceful and nimble as ballerinas but with an earthiness which locates it in its South American origins and integration of heritages from all slave groups.

What is really interesting about capoeira...

I was particularly moved by the ritual that the wizards go through before they can enter a capoeira match, such as the leaf bath and abstaining from sexual relations with women. All the traditions show both the ancient origins of capoeira and the dedication with which people who practice it must give. It is also a means of honoring the heritage that the people have inherited from their ancestors. By practicing and mastering capoeira as well as its many intricate rituals, the modern dancers are, in fact, continuing the traditions of their predecessors and bringing ancient art into the present.
It is hard to put the value of capoeira into monetary or economic terms because it is something of an intangible. Unlike a painting or a piece of sheet music or an…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Mandinga Em Manhattan. Dir. Lazaro Faria. 2013. DVD.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Geography of Martial Arts
Words: 4700 Length: 15 Document Type: Capstone Project

Martial Arts can be defined as a system organized into a code or it may be termed as the customs that revolve around practices that may give rise to conflict. This art is used by people for a number of reasons such as safety, championship, physical up gradation subliminal and divine development (Clements, 2006). People hold completely different perspectives towards the idea of Martial arts. A large number of people consider

Chinese Martial Arts
Words: 981 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Martial Arts Three of the most significant Chinese martial arts traditions include Chuan Fa, Kung Fu, and Wushu. Chuan Fa has also become part of the Japanese martial arts tradition, where it is known as Kenpo, also spelled Kempo. Chuan Fa translates as "fist law," and Kempo means "fist law" in Japanese. However, "the Chinese system from which Kenpo was derived underwent so many changes that, while most of the Kenpo

Mindfulness and Martial Arts
Words: 14405 Length: 40 Document Type: Dissertation or Thesis complete

Mindful vs. traditional martial arts toward improved academic grades in children diagnosed with ADHD While medication and psychotherapy are the current best practice in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), their benefits and aim are too peripheral and topical -- neither resolving the neurological origin of deficits. Moreover, many are opposed to these treatments and there are few substantiated and readily accepted alternatives. The consequences of ADHD have a ripple effect --

Buddhism and Japanese Martial Arts
Words: 620 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Buddhism and Martial Arts The principles of Buddhism and its application in Martial Arts East Asian religions are known for their focus on the 'inward self philosophy' -- that is, the belief that individuals can momentarily achieve a peaceful state of mind through meditation and actions that seek to create harmony between the human mind and matter. As one of the oldest religions in the Asian region, Buddhism subsists to this philosophy,

Mixed Martial Arts
Words: 3099 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Rise of Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts combat is a sport with an immense popularity that is still growing. This sport is also widely known as cage fighting, it is a full contact sport that allows fighters with different fighting styles and disciplines to compete. The popularity of this sport has increased from being an obscure and savage sideshow, to what it is now; a full blown mainstream and

Capoeira Brazillian Dance Martial Art Originally Angola.
Words: 2448 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

Capoeira brazillian dance martial art originally Angola. All sources MUST BE McFarlin Tulsa City/County Library. I updated a file guide line understand I . In spite of the fact that many are familiar with it, Capoeira remains a mysterious concept in the contemporary society. The masses are likely to associate it with a dance or with a fighting style, but very little people are likely to pinpoint exactly what it

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now