טאיקוונדו+קאפוארה=?
זו כתבה קצת ארוכה ובאנגלית, אז כדי לעזור שלה אני אספר קצת... הכתבה מדברת על חדירת הקאפוארה לקוריאה, ובמקרה הזה לסיאול. מדובר על מורה לטאיקוונדו (אומנות הלחימה המסורתית של קוריאה), דאן 4, שגילה את הקאפוארה, למד אותה והגיע לרמה גבוהה, וכיום הוא מנסה ליצור אומנות לחימה חדשה מתוך 2 האומנויות... Brazilian martial art takes hold in Seoul, Korea Masters of Taekwondo irked by appearance of Capoeira Aug 17, 2002 At a nondescript gym in Nowon-gu, northeast Seoul, an unfamiliar rhythm emanates from within, one rarely heard in these Eastern parts. Singing to the beat of a drum, students encircle two opponents fighting - or are they dancing? - in a smooth, ritualistic motion. A tae kwon do studio during the day, every night this "dojang" becomes the training ground for another type of "do," or martial art, one with its contemporary origins in Brazil and its roots in Africa - capoeira. Pronounced "ka-pweh-ra," this acrobatic art is both martial and beautiful, which is why the 15 students in class dedicate their evenings to learning the moves. "I have to thank Marc Dacascos for my business," said instructor Choi Hyun-hwa, referring to the actor who artistically displayed the fighting art in the 1993 American film, "Only the Strong," which prompted many of his students to seek him out. Having already gathered a following among dancers and cultural enthusiasts around the world, capoeira is slowly making its appearance in Korea. Capoeira is characterized by tumbling, acrobatics and kicks, which the combatant connects into seamless movement, and many believe it was the precursor to modern break dancing. Because of its athletic grace and its accompaniment by traditional Brazilian music, it is often mistaken as a "dance," to the irritation of some capoeira enthusiasts. But Choi doesn´t mind this characterization. "If you do it right, it looks like a dance," Choi admits. But with a fourth degree black belt in taegwondo, Korea´s traditional martial art, Choi himself is inclined to teach capoeira as self-defense. Choi is known among Seoul´s martial artists as the first master to teach capoeira in Korea. Five years ago, his own taegwondo master, who had seen capoeira on his travels abroad, demanded Choi learn the African-rooted art form. "I didn´t ask him why. You see, when your master tells you to do something, tells you to train in a certain way, you know he has his reasons, and you follow it," he explained. Since then, Choi has shuttled back and forth from Seoul to Sydney, Australia, learning capoeira from trained masters there. And just last year, he began teaching techniques to interested students at his own dojang. With kicks and stances similar to those in tae kwon do, it is not surprising that Choi´s students, most of whom have studied the Korean techniques in the past, learn the capoeira moves so quickly. But it is the differences that lure students to the more recently introduced art form. "In tae kwon do, you train by enduring pain, like when you break boards or break bricks. But in capoeira, it´s about enjoying yourself, enjoying the sensation, the motion," Choi said. He seems to be right. In his classes, his students seem as caught up in the rhythm of the music as they are focused on perfecting their technique. Soon after warming up, members of the class form the ritual circle, or "roda," to play "jogo de capoeira," the signature game of capoeira where two opponents called capoeiristas compete to control the circumscribed space, holding to one rule: not to touch the opponent. "It´s very easy to deal a hard blow at your opponent, whether a kick or a punch. It´s harder to swing and not hit him," Choi explains. With accuracy and quivering muscle control, pairs of students execute handstands, cartwheels and spinning kicks, just barely missing their counterparts. The better the fighter, the closer the feints sailed past the other´s body. Balance, flexibility and a keen ability to read one´s opponent are also signs of a skilled capoeirista. "It´s a mock fight, using moves one might use in an actual fight," Choi explains. The pace of the competition is dictated by the speed of the music, an indispensable element in capoeira. On the edge of the circle, Choi and his students play out a hypnotic pulse on four traditional Brazilian instruments: the berimbau (one-string bow), the atabaque (drum), the pandeiro (tanbourine) and the agogo (double bell). At his gym, Choi teaches a traditional style of capoeira, but his knowledge of other martial arts - kendo and "teukgong musul" (special forces combat training) in addition to taekwondo - cannot help but come through. "To teach self-defense, it wouldn´t be fair to students to exclude some moves, just because they belong to another martial art," he said. In fact, Choi spars with his fellow taegwondo masters, hoping to discover new moves from the dueling collaboration. But while his pioneering efforts have diversified Korea´s repertoire of self-defense, many masters were irked rather than elated. Worried about losing students to Choi´s new art form, many criticized Choi, protesting that such a new and different art would not catch on. Since then, the voices of nay-sayers have quieted as the size of Choi´s class grew, but more significantly, they have been drowned out by the enthusiastic applause received at public performances by Choi and his students. On weekends, the group performs in underground subway stations, often for an appreciative audience viewing capoeira for the first time. They have performed at Nowon, Hapjeong, Euljiro and Sadang stations among others, and on stages in front of shopping complexes around Korea. Rather than guarding the secrets of this traditional art, Choi seeks to share his knowledge of capoeira with as many Koreans as possible. "What´s the point of enjoying these great techniques by myself?" Written by: Catherine Jun - Staff reporter Korea Herald אז מה אתם אומרים ? יכול להיות שיום אחד נעשה באצ´יזאדו אבל נקבל דאנים במקום קורדות ?
זו כתבה קצת ארוכה ובאנגלית, אז כדי לעזור שלה אני אספר קצת... הכתבה מדברת על חדירת הקאפוארה לקוריאה, ובמקרה הזה לסיאול. מדובר על מורה לטאיקוונדו (אומנות הלחימה המסורתית של קוריאה), דאן 4, שגילה את הקאפוארה, למד אותה והגיע לרמה גבוהה, וכיום הוא מנסה ליצור אומנות לחימה חדשה מתוך 2 האומנויות... Brazilian martial art takes hold in Seoul, Korea Masters of Taekwondo irked by appearance of Capoeira Aug 17, 2002 At a nondescript gym in Nowon-gu, northeast Seoul, an unfamiliar rhythm emanates from within, one rarely heard in these Eastern parts. Singing to the beat of a drum, students encircle two opponents fighting - or are they dancing? - in a smooth, ritualistic motion. A tae kwon do studio during the day, every night this "dojang" becomes the training ground for another type of "do," or martial art, one with its contemporary origins in Brazil and its roots in Africa - capoeira. Pronounced "ka-pweh-ra," this acrobatic art is both martial and beautiful, which is why the 15 students in class dedicate their evenings to learning the moves. "I have to thank Marc Dacascos for my business," said instructor Choi Hyun-hwa, referring to the actor who artistically displayed the fighting art in the 1993 American film, "Only the Strong," which prompted many of his students to seek him out. Having already gathered a following among dancers and cultural enthusiasts around the world, capoeira is slowly making its appearance in Korea. Capoeira is characterized by tumbling, acrobatics and kicks, which the combatant connects into seamless movement, and many believe it was the precursor to modern break dancing. Because of its athletic grace and its accompaniment by traditional Brazilian music, it is often mistaken as a "dance," to the irritation of some capoeira enthusiasts. But Choi doesn´t mind this characterization. "If you do it right, it looks like a dance," Choi admits. But with a fourth degree black belt in taegwondo, Korea´s traditional martial art, Choi himself is inclined to teach capoeira as self-defense. Choi is known among Seoul´s martial artists as the first master to teach capoeira in Korea. Five years ago, his own taegwondo master, who had seen capoeira on his travels abroad, demanded Choi learn the African-rooted art form. "I didn´t ask him why. You see, when your master tells you to do something, tells you to train in a certain way, you know he has his reasons, and you follow it," he explained. Since then, Choi has shuttled back and forth from Seoul to Sydney, Australia, learning capoeira from trained masters there. And just last year, he began teaching techniques to interested students at his own dojang. With kicks and stances similar to those in tae kwon do, it is not surprising that Choi´s students, most of whom have studied the Korean techniques in the past, learn the capoeira moves so quickly. But it is the differences that lure students to the more recently introduced art form. "In tae kwon do, you train by enduring pain, like when you break boards or break bricks. But in capoeira, it´s about enjoying yourself, enjoying the sensation, the motion," Choi said. He seems to be right. In his classes, his students seem as caught up in the rhythm of the music as they are focused on perfecting their technique. Soon after warming up, members of the class form the ritual circle, or "roda," to play "jogo de capoeira," the signature game of capoeira where two opponents called capoeiristas compete to control the circumscribed space, holding to one rule: not to touch the opponent. "It´s very easy to deal a hard blow at your opponent, whether a kick or a punch. It´s harder to swing and not hit him," Choi explains. With accuracy and quivering muscle control, pairs of students execute handstands, cartwheels and spinning kicks, just barely missing their counterparts. The better the fighter, the closer the feints sailed past the other´s body. Balance, flexibility and a keen ability to read one´s opponent are also signs of a skilled capoeirista. "It´s a mock fight, using moves one might use in an actual fight," Choi explains. The pace of the competition is dictated by the speed of the music, an indispensable element in capoeira. On the edge of the circle, Choi and his students play out a hypnotic pulse on four traditional Brazilian instruments: the berimbau (one-string bow), the atabaque (drum), the pandeiro (tanbourine) and the agogo (double bell). At his gym, Choi teaches a traditional style of capoeira, but his knowledge of other martial arts - kendo and "teukgong musul" (special forces combat training) in addition to taekwondo - cannot help but come through. "To teach self-defense, it wouldn´t be fair to students to exclude some moves, just because they belong to another martial art," he said. In fact, Choi spars with his fellow taegwondo masters, hoping to discover new moves from the dueling collaboration. But while his pioneering efforts have diversified Korea´s repertoire of self-defense, many masters were irked rather than elated. Worried about losing students to Choi´s new art form, many criticized Choi, protesting that such a new and different art would not catch on. Since then, the voices of nay-sayers have quieted as the size of Choi´s class grew, but more significantly, they have been drowned out by the enthusiastic applause received at public performances by Choi and his students. On weekends, the group performs in underground subway stations, often for an appreciative audience viewing capoeira for the first time. They have performed at Nowon, Hapjeong, Euljiro and Sadang stations among others, and on stages in front of shopping complexes around Korea. Rather than guarding the secrets of this traditional art, Choi seeks to share his knowledge of capoeira with as many Koreans as possible. "What´s the point of enjoying these great techniques by myself?" Written by: Catherine Jun - Staff reporter Korea Herald אז מה אתם אומרים ? יכול להיות שיום אחד נעשה באצ´יזאדו אבל נקבל דאנים במקום קורדות ?
