THE GAME IS ON CAPOEIRA - BRAZILIAN MARTIAL ART - IS PART DANCE, PART AEROBICS, ALL FUN.

Byline: Chrys Wu Correspondent

Most days, Tarzana Karate is filled with youngsters studying Korean martial arts. But several times a week, the dojo goes South American when it becomes home to the Brazilian game of capoeira.

Taught by Neal ``Professor Xingu'' Rodil, 27, one of a handful of instructors in Los Angeles, capoeira (pronounced capu-edda) is a Brazilian martial art that tightly integrates music, song and gymnastic moves that require players to think fast on their feet.

``I think that's one of the things that people like about capoeira. You go to the gym, you work out, that's it. It becomes empty sometimes,'' says Rodil, who began studying in his early teens and started teaching five years ago. ``Here, you develop a family. You develop yourself, and it's something that no one can take away from you. Not just the physical aspect, but the knowledge when you learn it.''

Actress Charlize Theron learned capoeira when she agreed to star in the futuristic film ``Aeon Flux.'' Through word of mouth, the film's stunt coordinator found Rodil, who trained the actress for her role as a covert assassin. In one scene, Theron's character finds herself fighting hand-to-hand in tight quarters. She gains the advantage with a macaco, a monkey flip that's similar to a handspring.

Rodil says it normally takes students a year or two to learn it properly. Theron perfected the move in 3 1/2 months. And by training four to five hours a day six days a week, she also shed the 30 extra pounds she put on for her Oscar-winning role in ``Monster.''

``She did all this and it really slimmed her down to where she is now,'' says Rodil. He adds that though Theron, a former ballerina, was able to quickly get in shape with intensive workouts, the average person with limited time can still benefit from regularly practicing capoeira.

``It will get you in shape - fast - because it deals with all the elements of fitness,'' Rodil says. ``There's strength, fitness, balance, flexibility, coordination, core strength. And then at the same time, you're learning how to defend yourself; you're learning how to work in a group, a setting, a community.''

It's not known exactly when and how capoeira developed. But the popular theory is that it was created in the 1800s by freedom-seeking African slaves in Brazil who hid their training from their Dutch colonial masters by disguising it, choreographing fighting skills to music and song.

While it may have started as a form of rebellion, over time it has evolved into a game played around the world, a kind of wordless exchange between two players.

``It's a conversation,'' says Rodil. ``You can have two friends who just want to have an intellectual conversation, or you can just have a playful conversation. It's exactly like talking to someone. You've got to watch your boundaries - you can't say certain words because that might offend them.''

On this particular Friday evening at Tarzana Karate, 13 students, called capoeiristas, form a roda, or circle, in which the game is played. Rodil taps a stick against the wire of a berimbau, an ancient bow-shaped instrument. Another student accompanies him on a conga, which stands in for the traditional drum, called an atabaque. The berimbau drones as Rodil leads the group in a call-and-answer sung in Portuguese. A man and woman squat on both sides of the berimbau and reach out handshake-style to slap hands in the ritual greeting that starts the game.

Once they enter the circle, the two players face off, smiling as the music's pounding rhythm drives them in a spirited match that never involves actual contact. Unlike other martial arts that emphasize fighting, capoeira is all about play. To the uninitiated, it looks a little like competitive break dancing. The woman executes a spinning roundhouse kick, and the man artfully ducks. His dodge flows smoothly into a series of breathtaking flips that the woman evades with a few well-timed bent-leg cartwheels.

The varied elements of capoeira are more meditative than aggressive, notes Joseph Grayshock, who has been practicing for eight months. ``When you start feeling the flow of energy, you realize it's not about fighting,'' he says. ``I take yoga. It goes right along with all that stuff. It's awesome.''

In Rodil's classes, men and women practice and play together. Julie Ritchie is one of the more experienced players in the group. She has studied with Rodil for two years and has earned a second color on the cordal, a rope that circles her waist and indicates her rank. During warm-up exercises, she gently coaches a male partner, demonstrating the proper flow of a kick-and-dodge combination. In the roda, she literally springs into action, doing several aerial cartwheels to evade the other player.

Ritchie is one of a few women in tonight's class. She says there are usually more, and though there aren't many women capoeiristas, their numbers are growing. ``Maybe some girls shy away because there's a lot of interaction involved,'' Ritchie says. ``You have to have courage, and that can be a hard thing to acquire if you're not used to that kind of interaction with people.''

Ritchie is undaunted, because like other students in the class, she remains fascinated by the holistic aspect of the game. ``You can't have capoeira without the music,'' Ritchie says. ``That's really unique to the art, and I really love the artistic side, the artistic expression.''

Where to begin

--www.valleycapoeira.com: Rodil's Web site offers class schedules and a history of the game. Fees for his classes range from $80 per month for a single session per week to $120 a month for classes three times a week. Call [phone].

--www.capoeira.com: A discussion forum, news, photographs and a calendar of events.

--www.capoeira-angola.org: Information about Capoeira Angola, a form of capoeira that emphasizes tradition and play.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) HEAD OVER HEELS

Find out why star like Charlize Theron are training in the Brazilian martial art capoeira

(2) Instructor Neal ``Professor Xingu'' Rodil leads students in a capoeira session at Tarzana Karate.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(3) Actress Charlize Theron learned capoeira for ther role as a covert assassin in the film ``Aeon Flux.''

Box:

Where to begin (see text)