What is Capoeira?

CAPOEIRA (pronounced ka-poo-eh-ra) is a 400-year-old Brazilian martial art that combines acrobatics, dance, music, singing and body expression. The popularity of Capoeira has grown in such a way over the past few decades that is now practiced by over 8 million people around the world. In it's native Brazil, it's popularity has grown in such a way that it rivals the national sport of soccer. Capoeira offers a unique workout by it incorporating aerobic and anaerobic principles. As a social activity, it relies on the heavy participation of each individual to form a community of artists. Capoeira as a martial art promotes physical conditioning and awareness by engaging two players into a game called "jogo". By facing each other inside a circle called "roda" each practitioner develops a strategy to fool the other player and catch them off guard. This can be accomplished by employing kicks, sweeps or takedowns. The objective in Capoeira is for the practitioner to show the "upper hand" within the context of the game. The roda is a circle formed by the other players who create the rhythm for the game by clapping, singing and playing traditional instruments. This is how practitioners outside of the circle will also engage in the game, thus signifying the importance of each individual in and outside the roda.

History in a brief

Capoeira was born from the necessity of African slaves to free themselves from their Portuguese captors. As slaves they couldn't openly practice self-defense and therefore had to develop a system disguised as a dance that fooled their captors into thinking it was a ritualized form of expression with its particular music and folklore. Capoeira became their vehicle to freedom. It was through this Brazilian art form with African influence that the enslaved Africans were able to escape captivity and form their own communities called "Quilombos" away from Portuguese oppression. After the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888, Capoeira as means of expression went through difficult times as it was still associated with slavery and was breaking from social stigmas that kept the art from growing . It wasn't until the legendary Capoeira Mestre (Master) Bimba rescued the art form and proved its legitimacy by opening Capoeira's first official school in Bahia, Brazil in 1932, leading to its recognition as Brazil's National sport by President Gertulio Vargas.