The boom of bass drums exploded off the stage as almost 30 people in the audience waited in anticipation at the Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall on Friday.
The show was called "A Night in Brazil" and featured a capoeira exhibition.
Capoeira is a Brazilian combination of martial arts and dancing that was created in the 16th century. It has only recently spread to the United States and arrived at Chico State in 1999.
As the drumming began, a percussion session emerged, adding a tin-sounding snare drum, shaker, tambourine and whistle into the mix.
Six female dancers made their way to the stage, performing in a style that was part hip-hop and part karate with a dash of striptease.
The women danced exhaustively for at least 10 minutes until the music stopped. Then the capoeira performers took the stage.
Waiting nervously backstage before the show began, Robert Washington, president of Chico State Capoeira, pointed out the special guest of the evening, Mestre Curisco.
In 2003, a student of Curisco's began attending Chico State and soon got the group inducted into the international school Capoeira Malês, making Curisco master, or "mestre," of the Chico program.
Many of the people performing as part of the ensemble traveled from Seattle, the Bay Area and San Diego, a few of the areas that have Capoeira Malês participants.
Soon there were as many performers on the stage as people in the audience.
The dancers stood in a circle, called a "roda," that represents the earth.
Nothing exists outside of the circle, Washington said.
All participants wear all white with colored ropes around their waist that represent their skill level.
Washington wears an orange belt, which in his school means he's highly skilled, but there is no universal belting system.
"In some places that'd be a beginner's belt," Washington said.
On stage, dancers and fighters met one-on-one in the middle of the circle to "battle."
Early in the show, eight dancers "fought."
The purpose is not to beat your opponent but to trick them. "Malicia" is the primary philosophy of capoeira, Washington said. The goal is to keep the opponent guessing.
The capoeira performers danced barefoot, clapped and sang with the drums. Two people played instruments that looked like single-stringed harps called "berimbaus." A berimbau is the main instrument in capoeira.
Although the instruments remain the same, the beat and tone of a song can change. The range is unlimited, just like human emotions.
"Think of it like a soundtrack to life," Washington said.
There is no limit to how long a capoeira session will last or how long participants will "face off" in the middle, Washington said. It's like "a nonverbal conversation between two people."
The "conversation" continues as long as someone has something to say.
The purpose of the show was to promote awareness of capoeira in Chico, Washington said. Capoeira has just expanded from campus to a new class at In Motion Fitness.
Chico is one of the few places in Northern California where people can practice the Brazilian art form.
"You can't find capoeira at every street corner," Washington said. "We're like an oasis of Brazilian culture."
Liz Laird can be reached at llaird@theorion.com
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