Martial art, dance, music, living culture… Five questions to Passarhino, professor and intern representative

Martial art, dance, music, living culture: capoeira goes far beyond the sporting framework. Julien Panot, alias “Passarhino”, international representative of ABADà -Capoeira, returns for France 3 Côte d’Azur on his journey and defends a practice where the body, rhythm and humanity become one.

Passarhino teaches on the Côte d’Azur, in Lyon and Chambéry, as well as internationally. He distinguished himself several times in competition during his career, notably with various European champion titles.

• France 3 Côte d’Azur: Can you tell us about your background and what brought you to capoeira?

Passarhino: “I discovered capoeira at the age of 12 during a demonstration in Brazil, where I grew up. My nickname “Passarhino”, which means “little bird” in Portuguese, comes from there. A real crush, I never since arrested.

I started teaching at the age of 16, before opening my classes to all audiences at 18. I trained within the group ABADà -Capoeira – Associação Brasileira de Apoio e Desenvolvimento da Arte-Capoeira -, internationally recognized for its pedagogical approach. Today, at 42 years old, the desire to transmit this culture remains intact.

For several years, I have been developing my association “Passateam” alongside Instrutora Brinquinho, of Mexican origin and involved in capoeira for more than twenty years.

Together, we are established in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and in the Lyon region, while carrying out international projects, particularly in Mexico.

A strong bond has been built with this country through a cultural exchange project: Mexican students come to France to discover our practice, our culture and our daily lives, sometimes for their first trip abroad. These experiences transform their life journeys.

Our objective goes beyond the sporting framework; we want to create real human and cultural bridges.”

Capoeira is often seen as an acrobatic dance or martial art. Do the demonstrations in the street really reflect the reality of the discipline?

Passarhino: “The demonstrations highlight the most spectacular aspect of capoeira: acrobatics and visual energy. However, they only represent a partial vision of the discipline.” He emphasizes this point:

To reduce capoeira to a dance or a martial art is to forget that it is a culture in its own right.

Passarhino, teacher and international representative of ABADÃ-Capoeira

France 3 Côte d’Azur

“It is an ancestral art based on a complete set – a language, Brazilian Portuguese – songs transmit the memory of the elders and their history accompanied by traditional instruments like the berimbau.

Artisanal know-how also plays an important role, such as the manufacture of this Brazilian instrument from the struck string family, passed down from master to student for generations. This transmission is part of a living oral tradition, close to that of the griots in West Africa or the troubadours in medieval Europe.

Performances in the street are not, however, detached from this reality: many capoeiristas make a living from it and make it their main activity, helping to make this art known to as many people as possible.

For the teacher, capoeira is transmitted as much through the movements as through its culture, its values ​​and its history. A practice open to all ages, accessible to people with disabilities as well as vulnerable groups.

Codes, grade changes during “batizados”: how does this transmission work?

“Capoeira is expressed through precise codes, notably the white abadá outfit and the strings of color, which structures the identity and progression of the capoeirista. In our ABADà -Capoeira group, these ropes accompany the grade passages during the baptizeda ceremony marking a stage in the practitioner’s journey.

Each color carries a symbolism linked to the practitioner’s journey and natural elements. Ecru, the color of cotton, evokes beginnings and neutrality. Yellow refers to gold and the value of education. Orange symbolizes the awakening of knowledge. Blue recalls the oceans and the path remaining to be covered. Brown embodies adaptation, like the chameleon.

Finally, white marks the achievement of the professor who has become a Maester and evokes the diamond, symbol of an accomplished journey where all the stages continue to coexist.

For my part, as a teacher, my rope is brown, says Passarhino.

At the heart of capoeira is the Roda, recognized by UNESCO in 2014. What does it really represent?

“The wheelcapoeira circle, is the beating heart. Two players move in the center while the others sing and play instruments. It is a space of exchange where there is neither winner nor loser but where we learn to listen, to anticipate, to adapt and above all to respect others.

Both free and codified, the roda is based on implicit rules based on respect and essentially non-verbal communication.

Whatever their level, everyone finds their place. The practice also transmits a way of being in the world through malicethis intelligence of the body and mind based on observation and adaptation.

What are your upcoming events and what message do you want to convey

“As the end of the season and World Capoeira Day approach, two baptized will come to bring together practitioners and the curious in Grasse and Lyon.

On the program: courses, music, Brazilian culture and rope-giving ceremonies. In Grasse, the June 19, 20 and 21if he had the Batizado des Alpes-Maritimes in the presence of Mestrando Esquilao.

In Lyon, the June 26, 27 and 28 at the Chanfray Gymnasium, the Batizado de Lyon will take place with the guest of honor Mestrando Fantasma.”.

Passarhino encourages the public to come and discover the roda:

These are moments of transmission and meeting open to all. If you have never attended a roda… Simply come and observe, feel and discover: you will inevitably come away different!

Passateam, teacher and international representative of ABADÃ-Capoeira

France 3 Côte d’Azur

He concludes: “In an often fragmented world, this discipline born from the dark hours of slavery in Brazil reminds us that an exchange, a dialogue remains possible, through the body, music and respect for others.”

An invitation to change perspective and make movement a common language.