What is Capoeira? Capoeira is a unique blend of martial arts, music, dance, self-expression & instruments. Steeped in strong Afro-Brazilian history, it was once a slave ritual practiced by African descendants in the sugarcane fields and plantations of Brazil. It involves amazing acrobatics, beautiful movements, soulful singing, pounding music, and a magical interaction & communication between the dancers, the musicians, and the audience. Capoeira is often vaunted as Brazil's greatest cultural export, and can these days it can be seen in Hollywood movies, in music video clips, television commercials, and on the streets and parks of neighbourhoods all over the world. What does “capoeira” mean? The derivation of the word “capoeira” is under dispute, as there are several possibilities: The Portuguese word “capoeira” derives from the word capão, which translates as capon, a castrated rooster. The sport’s name may originate from this word since its moves may resemble those of a rooster in a fight. “Capoeira” has several meanings, including any kind of pen where poultry is kept, a fowl similar to a partridge, and a basket worn on the head by soldiers defending a stronghold. “Capoeira” is also what people used to call a black inlander who mugged travellers. Afro-Brazilian scholar Carlos Eugenio has suggested that the sport took its name from a large round basket called a capa commonly worn on the head by urban slaves selling wares. The word could derive from two Tupi-Guarani words, [CAA] (”down, little”) and [PUOÊRA] (”grass”), referring to an area of forest that has been cleared by burning or cutting down. [CAÃ][PUOERA] was also a place used by fugitive slaves to attack slave transports. Kongo scholar K. Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau has posited that “capoeira” could be derived from the Kikongo word kipura, a term used to describe a rooster’s movements in a fight and meaning to flutter, flit from place to place, struggle, fight, or flog. Capoeira’s History During the 1500s, Portugal shipped slaves into South America from Western Africa. Brazil was the largest contributor to slave migration with 42% of all slaves shipped across the Atlantic. These people brought their cultural traditions and religion with them to the New World. The homogenization of the African people under the oppression of slavery was the catalyst for capoeira. Capoeira was developed by the slaves of Brazil as a way to resist their oppressors, secretly practice their art, transmit their culture, and lift their spirits. Some historians believe that the indigenous peoples of Brazil also played an important role in the development of capoeira. After slavery was abolished, the slaves moved to the cities of Brazil, and with no employment to be found, many joined or formed criminal gangs. They continued to practice capoeira, and it became associated with anti-government or criminal activities. As a result, capoeira was outlawed in Brazil in 1892. The punishment for practicing it was extreme, and the police were vicious in their attempt to stamp out the art. Capoeira continued to be practiced, but it moved further underground. In the 1930s the ban on capoeira was finally lifted by the Government of Brazil after many famous Capoeira Mestres helped it break free of its tarnished reputation. It is now practiced in universities, dance schools, primary and high schools, in gyms, on the beaches and the streets across the globe. Capoeira has acquired prestige and admiration, and can now be seen in major Hollywood movies, and in television commercials and dance programs. In the time of the slaves, capoeira was an instrument of resistance, today it is a vehicle of social change. Due to its democratic character, everybody is treated the same and nevertheless everyone’s differences are respected. The poor plays with the rich, the white learns with the black, the child listens to the Master and vice-versa. Capoeira also teaches respect for our peers, our juniors, and our seniors. The Game of Capoeira Capoeira is played within the “roda” (pronounced “ho-dar”), a circle of participants singing, clapping and playing instruments. Roda means wheel and signifies not only the shape of the circle but also … the continuous cycle of players entering and alternating … the call and response nature of the songs and …the spinning kicks and cartwheels within the game. In Capoeira you use your cunning and the agility of your bodies to engage in a physical conversation with the other player. Kicks, flips, cartwheels and graceful movements are all part of this conversation that is performed to the singing of the crowd and accompanies the berimbau and the other instruments. We train Capoeira to strengthen our bodies and learn the essentials of playing within the roda. Capoeira is all about participation and the focus of all our training is for everyone to participate more in the roda. Everyone is strongly encouraged to learn how to sing the songs and play the instruments, not only take part in the physical part of the game. Some of the games trained and played in the roda include; Capoeira Angola, Capoeira Regional, Benguela, and Capoeira Contemporánea. Other forms of dance associated with Capoeira, and often played in the roda are Samba de Roda, Samba Dura and Maculelê.