Capoeira; a Brazilian battle dance and national sport; has become popular all over the world. First brought to Brazil by African slaves and first documented in the late eighteenth century; capoeira has undergone many transformations as it has diffused throughout Brazilian society and beyond; taking on a multiplicity of meanings for those who participate in it and for the societies in which it is practiced. In this book; Maya Talmon-Chvaicer combines cultural history with anthropological research to offer an in-depth study of the development and meaning of capoeira; starting with the African cultures in which it originated and continuing up to the present day.Using a wealth of primary sources; Talmon-Chvaicer analyzes the outlooks on life; symbols; and rituals of the three major cultures that inspired capoeiramdash;the Congolese (the historic area known today as Congo-Angola); the Yoruban; and the Catholic Portuguese cultures. As she traces the evolution of capoeira through successive historical eras; Talmon-Chvaicer maintains a dual perspective; depicting capoeira as it was experienced; observed; and understood by both Europeans and Africans; as well as by their descendants. This dual perspective uncovers many covert aspects of capoeira that have been repressed by the dominant Brazilian culture.This rich study reclaims the African origins and meanings of capoeira; while also acknowledging the many ways in which Catholic-Christian culture has contributed to it. The book will be fascinating reading not only for scholars but also for capoeira participants who may not know the deeper spiritual meanings of the customs; amulets; and rituals of this jogo da vida; "game of life."
#224793 in eBooks 2005-07-01 2005-07-01File Name: B003OIBUXG
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. good work and good fun for beginners like meBy Walter J. SmithI am 67 years old. and have spent a few years learning to play the piano. Learning comes slow to those of us who have so many old habits that now prove obstacles to new learning must be revised to accommodate this learning.I teased my wonderfully patient teacher by chiding her for promoting me from kindergarten to third grade after only six years of study practice. She appropriately told me I was rapidly progressing into piano.The book is very well presented and explains things like style. mood. interpretation. and form. The selections are all fun after appropriate practice and some helpful additional instruction. (One would likely be lost with this book not knowing a host of other technical details about printed music.)Unfortunately the author only mentions the more technique-oriented and/or technical challenges one faces at this time in ones study. His mention is only a paragraph aimed at selling another of his books on that topic. It is a mystery only booksellers can answer why he needed another book to contain his subject and mine instead of putting it all into one collection. A glimpse at the back cover illustrates the depths of this challenge: the author there offers another seven "third grade" music books.The book is also "modern" in the quaintly academic sense that it contains music from what the academics call the modern centuries (C16-C20); according to their preferred doctrines we now live in the "post modern" era which began sometime in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. the precise moment of its birth as yet unsettled.That is not necessarily wrong; we all need orientation from the past. But it is important also to not get lost in the past.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. There are some good pieces in this bookBy KarinJohn Thompson is not very popular any more. and I dont use Teaching Little Fingers to play. but was very pleasantly suprised when I bought this for my children who have recently started piano lessons. I bought it partly out of nostalgia. if truth be told. and Id had my son do Teaching Little Fingers to play along with Robert Pace Piano Discoveries. My chief complaint with this book is the flagrant overuse of finger numbers. which can be rectified by blacking most of them out. It does move quickly. but there is a lot of emphasis on developing musicality. and I can see why my childhood piano teacher used this (she was very strong on developing good musicianship and musicality). Of course. it was also very popular back then. but I can see why she chose this book one over the ones I used for later levels. My kids are older beginners (11 13) but I think any student that is able to move quickly could handle the pace since I started this book when I was 8.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fun to hear old piecesBy ChloeBought this for a piano student. I played from this book when I was a kid. Fun to hear old pieces.
