What is Capoeira?

The History

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art form developed by the African slaves in Brazil over 400 years ago.  It combines the potency of a Martial art, the fluidity and expressiveness of dance, the soul-calling power of music, the wit and playfulness of clever games, and the challenge of the acrobatics into one beautiful art form. 

The Game

While most other martial artists "spar" or "fight", capoeiristas (capoeira players) play.  This is done inside of a "Roda" (a circle of other capoeira players).  The players often try to trick and outwit each other, looking for ways to trip the other person up while avoiding having the same happen to them.  The capoeira game is also considered a dialogue between two players, with their actions and reactions together forming anything from a pleasant conversation to a heated argument, to rounds of teasing and bantering, to a lesson being given and received.

The Music

Music plays a fundamental role in capoeira, and largely makes the martial art what it is.  At the head of every roda plays the "bateria" (a group of percussion instruments), with the rest of the roda clapping and singing along.  Songs are sung in Portuguese, often follow a call-and-response style, and subject matter includes things such as legendary capoeiristas, capoeira proverbs, or a commentary on the game currently being played.  The bateria itself consists of the following instruments, in various numbers and combinations.

  • The atabaque (a tall, Brazilian drum somewhat resembling congo drums)
  • The pandeiro (tambourine)
  • The reco-reco (a ribbed wooden rod that you run a stick up and down over to play)
  • The agogô bell (two metal bells attached to each other and struck with a stick)

The first three instruments are essential, while the bottom two instruments are only used regularly in some capoeira groups.  The berimbau is a bow-like instrument made from a Brazilian wood and strung with a single steel wire.  A hollowed-out gourd is hung onto the bottom end as a resonator, and the player holds a stone against or away from the wire in order to produce different sounds.  The wire is struck with a bow or stick, while a rattle is held and shaken with the same hand.

The berimbau is the master of the roda: it controls what players do, when they do it, and how they do it.  There are different berimbau (rhythms/melodies) all reserved for specific situations, whether it is setting the pace of the game, (historically) indicating the police approximation or announcing the arrival of potential danger.

The Styles

There are two major styles of capoeira: Regional and Angola.

  • Capoeira Regional was developed by Mestre ("master") Bimba, and is considered to be     faster paced, flashier, and more similar to other martial arts.
  • Capoeira Angola, championed by Bimba’s contemporary Mestre Pastinha, maintains the reputation of being the "true", traditional form of capoeira, which includes extremely slow as well as extremely quick movements, fewer acrobatics, and much closer games.
  • A growing number of schools today practice what is called capoeira contemporânea ; (contemporary Capoeira), which combines the two styles into one, or focuses on one while dabbling in the other.

     

 

 THE INSTRUCTOR

Professor Xará
Cordão de Ouro -- Capoeira