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What is Capoeira?

C A P O E I R A may simply look like a kind of ‘mock fight’ or dance circle. Surrounded by a bateria (musician) in a circle called the roda, two capoeiristas (‘players’) move around each other using arcing kicks, stealthy dodges, crouching movements, cartwheels, teasing gestures, sneak attacks, headbutts, and the occasional acrobatic leap.Capoeira, unlike most other martial arts, can be more accurately described as a game than a fighting style. The jogo (capoeira game) is played by two capoeira practitioners (capoeiristas) at a time, inside a ring of people called the Roda, which is made up of other capoeiristas or onlookers. The capoeiristas engage in a series of attack and counter attack movements made up of mostly kicks, at times coming within inches of each other. Moving by the sound of the instruments and a energetic chorus sang by everyone around the Roda.

A Brief History of Capoeira

Capoeira as it is known today began when enslaved Africans brought to Brasil had the need to save themselves from the slavery, then all the tribes captured united their fighting skills into one fight that used the dance element as a camouflage for their training, as slaves were not allowed to practice any kind of fight. After scaping using their new martial art they created quilombos, a hidden free states where runaways, outcasts and fugitives of mixed origin lived communally. Amongst these the most famous was Palmares led by Zumbi, an invicible warrior and strategist, whom according to legend was a capoerista.

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art with over 400 years of history. Developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, it is the only indigenous martial art of the Americas.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.The techniques of fighting that it incorporates were developed in the 16th and 17th centuries as a means of protection by the slaves from their owners. It was consequently banned from the society.With the signing of the Golden Law in 1888, which abolished slavery, 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. Capoeira found itself outlawed by the first constitution of the Brazilian Republic in 1892.

The punishment for practicing it was extreme (practioners could have the tendons on the back of their feet cut), and the police were vicious in their attempt to stamp out the art. Capoeira continued to be practiced, but it moved further underground. Rodas were often held in areas with plenty of escape routes, and a special rhythm called cavalaria were added to the music to warn players that the police were coming. To avoid being persecuted, capoeira practitioners (capoeiristas) also gave themselves an apelido or nicknames, often more than one. This made it much harder for the police to discover their true identities. This tradition continues to this day. When a person is baptized into Capoeira at the batizado ceremony, they may be given their apelido.In 1937, Mestre Bimba was invited to demonstrate his art in front of the president. After this performance, he was given permission to open the first capoeira school in Brazil. Since that time, capoeira has been officially recognized as a national sport, and has spread around the world. Mestre Bimba's systematization and teaching of capoeira made a tremendous contribution to the capoeira community.

In 1942, Mestre Pastinha opened the first Capoeira Angola school, the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola, located in Bahia. He had his students wear black pants and yellow t-shirts, the same color of the "Ipiranga Futebol Clube," his favorite soccer team. Most Angola schools since then follow in this tradition, having their students wear yellow capoeira t-shirts.

Capoeira has its roots in the West African culture that was brought to Brazil through African slaves mixed with the local native ('the índios'). It developed mainly in three places: Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and the state of Bahia. While in the first two places, Capoeira was more violent, in Bahia it became more of a ritualized game, with a strong musical element. This is the style that is today referred to as Capoeira Angola, a term originally coined by Mestre Pastinha in an attempt to differentiate it from Capoeira Regional, which was created by Mestre Bimba in the 1930's.Together, Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha are generally seen as the fathers of modern Capoeira Regional and Capoeira Angola respectively.

What is a Batizado?

A Batizado (literally baptism in Portuguese, and borrowed from the religious tradition) is normally an annual event for a Capoeira group in a region or country. This event is a celebration event to congratulate the group's students for all their effort throughout the year. During the Batizado, all of the new members will be officially be a group member and receive their first cords (corda) and the other depending on their progress will move to a new level. Usually batizado will take several days which consist of workshops, the actual Batizado itself and Troca das Cordas.

Troca das Cordas, literally the changing of the cordas, cordas means the level of a capoeirista. During the troca das cordas some capoeiristas will receive a new corda before or after a game played against a Mestre (Master) in which they have to show their advancement and earn the right to wear the new corda. The color schemes for the levels vary from group to group.