Portal:Capoeira
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Introduction
Capoeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuˈejɾɐ / kapwˈɐjɾɐ]) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. It was developed in Brazil at the beginning of the 16th century. It is known for its quick and complex maneuvers, predominantly using power, speed, and leverage across a wide variety of kicks, spins, and other techniques.
The most widely accepted origin of the word capoeira comes from the Tupi words ka'a ("jungle") e pûer ("it was"), referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior where fugitive slaves would hide. A practitioner of the art is called a capoeirista (Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuejˈɾistɐ]).
Selected general articles
Romulo Barral (bottom) at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Long Beach, California, attempts a triangle choke.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (/dʒuːˈdʒɪtsuː/; Portuguese: [ˈʒiw ˈʒit(i)su], [ˈʒu ˈʒit(i)su], [dʒiˈu dʒit(i)ˈsu]) (BJJ; Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro) is a martial art and combat sport system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was formed from Kodokan judo ground fighting (newaza) fundamentals that were taught by a number of Japanese individuals including Takeo Yano, Mitsuyo Maeda, Soshihiro Satake, and Isao Okano. Brazilian jiu-jitsu eventually came to be its own combat sport when Judo mainstream took an Olympic turn, and through the experiments, practices, and adaptation of judo, jujutsu and wrestling through Carlos and Hélio Gracie (who passed their knowledge on to their extended family) as well as other instructors who were likely students of the Judoka Maeda, such as Luiz França, and their later successors in Brazil and elsewhere.
BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves or another against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground, and then applying joint locks and chokeholds to defeat the opponent. BJJ training can be used for sport grappling tournaments and in self-defense situations. Sparring (commonly referred to as "rolling" within the BJJ community) and live drilling play a major role in training, and a premium is placed on performance, especially in competition, in relation to progress and ascension through its ranking system. Read more...
João Pereira dos Santos or Mestre João Pequeno de Pastinha (27 December 1917 – 9 December 2011) as he was known within capoeira circles. He began his life in Capoeira as a student of Mestre Gilvenson (C. Daniel Dawson's book "Capoeira Angola and Mestre João Grande" cites Mestre Barbosa as João Pequeno's first teacher, see Mestre João Grande) and later became a disciple of Mestre Pastinha - the father of contemporary Capoeira Angola. Together with Mestre João Grande he is later to share the honour of being one of the late Mestre Pastinha's two most learned students - the ones to whom he entrusted his legacy. Mestre João Pequeno died on 9 December 2011 at the age of 93.
In 1970, Mestre Pastinha said the following about João Pequeno and João Grande, "They will be the greatest Capoeira players of the future and I have worked hard with them, and for them, to achieve this. They will be true masters. Not just impromptu teachers, as can be found anywhere, who only destroy our tradition which is so beautiful. I've taught everything I know to these young men. Even the Cat's Leap (lit. Pulo do gato, the one move that is kept to oneself to use in dire circumstances. It is usually never taught to anyone, to keep its element of surprise). That's why I have the greatest hopes regarding their future." Read more...
Ubirajara (Bira) Guimarães Almeida (born 1943), better known as Mestre Acordeon, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and a master (pt.: mestre) of the Brazilian folk art Capoeira. His international reputation as a teacher, performer, musician, organizer, and author is built upon fifty years of active practice, as well as research into the origins, traditions, political connotations, and contemporary trends of Capoeira. Mestre Acordeon has traveled extensively to promote Capoeira outside Brazil.
Acordeon was a student of the legendary Mestre Bimba in the late 1950s, and began teaching Capoeira himself in the early 1960s. In 1966, he founded the Grupo Folclorico da Bahia that performed the show Vem Camará: Histórias de Capoeira in the Teatro Jovem in Rio de Janeiro. The show presented an approach to Capoeira that influenced a new generation of young capoeiristas and affirmed the concept of grupo de Capoeira and today’s capoeira regional. He won three Brazilian Capoeira National Championships in the 1970s. Read more...- João Oliveira dos Santos (born 15 January 1933) better known as Mestre João Grande, is a Grão-Mestre (Grand Master) of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira angola who has contributed to the spread of this art throughout the world. He was a student of the "father of Angola", Mestre Pastinha, and has an academy in New York City. Read more...
- Manuel dos Reis Machado, commonly called Mestre Bimba (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmɛstɾi ˈbĩbɐ]; November 23, 1899 – February 5, 1974), was a mestre (a master practitioner) of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira. Read more...
- 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. The practice of Capoeira Batizados originates from Capoeira Regional, but has been widely used by Capoeira Contemporânea groups.
In Capoeira Regional, the tradition of the batizado is simply the first time a new student plays capoeira to the sound of the berimbau. In the batizado, the new student will play with a more advanced student, who takes care of the beginner, and helps them to develop their capoeira game. The Batizado welcomes new students into the school and strengthens community bonds. Read more... - In the game of capoeira, toques are the rhythms played on the berimbau. Many toques are associated with a specific game (i.e. style and speed of play), although organizations differ on how to play each toque. Capoeira toques have their roots in African rhythmic music, which was modified and further developed among the slaves of Brazil. Read more...
In capoeira, music sets the rhythm, the style of play, and the energy of a game.
In its most traditional setting, there are three main styles of song that weave together the structure of the capoeira roda. The roda represents the most strict and traditional format for capoeira and is ideally suited for an introduction and discussion of the music. Though we may consider the music traditional, because it has been passed orally from one to the next until the early - mid 20th century when songs and rhythms began to be notated and recorded, there is no record of to what extent and exactly how the music has evolved over time. Capoeira's Brazilian heritage plays a heavy role in the way capoeira is perceived by its practitioners and understood at a subconscious level. It is a common feature of many Brazilian ethnic groups, for instance, as well as others throughout the world, that music is not so much a form of personal entertainment as it is a medium to bring about group cohesion and dynamic. Music in the context of capoeira is used to create a sacred space through both the physical act of forming a circle (the roda) and an aural space that is believed to connect to the spirit world. This deeper religious significance exists more as a social memory to most capoeira groups, but is generally understood as evidenced in the use of ngoma drums (the atabaques of Yoruba candomblé), the berimbau whose earlier forms were used in rituals in Africa and the diaspora in speaking with ancestors, the ever-present term axé which signifies life force, the invocation of both Afro-Brazilian and Catholic spirituality, and certain semi-ritualized movements used in Capoeira Angola that bring "spiritual protection".
The instruments are:
up to 3 berimbaus
up to 2 pandeiros
1 agogô
1 reco-reco (notched wooden tube similar to a guiro)
1 atabaque or conga
Not every roda will contain all these instruments. Mestre Bimba, for instance, preferred only one berimbau and two pandeiros in his rodas, but there will always be at least one berimbau in any roda.
The berimbaus preside over the roda, their rhythmic combinations suggesting variations in movement style between the two players in the roda. Some capoeira groups insist that among the three berimbaus, the lowest-toned (called a gunga or berraboi) is the lead instrument, while other groups follow the lead of the middle (medio or viola) berimbau. The roda begins and ends at the discretion of the lead berimbau player, who may determine who plays next, can stop games, set the tempo of the music, and calm the players if they get too rough. There appears to be agreement that the treble-most berimbau (viola or violinha) is an accompaniment instrument, freely improvising based on rhythms of the middle instrument. Read more...
Maculelê (Pronounced: mah-koo-leh-LEH) is an Afro Brazilian dance where a number of people gather in a circle called a roda. Read more...- Puxada de Rede is a Brazilian folkloric theatrical play, seen in many capoeira performances. It is based on a traditional Brazilian legend. Read more...
- Grupo Candeias de Capoeira is an international Capoeira group, has its headquarters located in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil and is presided over by the Mestre Suíno. Read more...
Samba (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃bɐ] (
listen)) is a Brazilian musical genre and dance style, with its roots in Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions, particularly of Angola and the Congo, through the samba de roda genre of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, from which it derived. Although there were various forms of samba in Brazil with popular rhythms originated from drumming, samba as a music genre has its origins in Rio de Janeiro, the former capital of Brazil.
Samba is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival. Considered one of the most popular Brazilian cultural expressions, samba has become an icon of Brazilian national identity.
The Bahian Samba de Roda (dance circle), was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2005. It is the main root of the samba carioca, the samba that is played and danced in Rio de Janeiro. Read more...- Capoeira has always been an eclectic martial art with a variety of different techniques that make use of the hands, feet, legs, arms, elbows, knees, and head. Some techniques are used for moving along the ground while others are used for evading attacks and it is not uncommon to see a combination of the two. There are hard attacks that include headbutts, slaps, punches, elbows, kicks and knees as well as softer attacks such as takedowns or sweeps; however, the main emphasis is normally placed on the interaction between kicks and evasions. The most confusing group of techniques for many outside the capoeira circle are florieos which often results in capoeira being mistaken for breakdancing or acrobatics.
A huge synergy of West African martial arts, cultures, and traditions such as Hausa Dambe, kulunga fighting, and Nuba wrestling have all had an influence on capoeira techniques. These combined with the colorful acrobatic performances during the festivals all came together to form the capoeira that many are familiar with today. A large amount of these same techniques can be found in other martial arts from the African Diaspora such as knocking and kicking from the Sea Islands, ladya from Martinique or juego de mani from Cuba. There are also many techniques in capoeira found in more well-known Asian martial arts. Read more...
Reinaldo Ramos Suassuna also known as Mestre Suassuna (pronounced [ˈmɛstɾi swaˈsunɐ]; born 1938 in Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil) is the founder and head of the international capoeira organization Cordão de Ouro. Read more...- Pedro Moraes Trindade, commonly known as Mestre Moraes, (born February 9, 1950 in Ilha de Maré in Salvador, Brazil) is a master of capoeira.
Moraes began his training in Capoeira de Angola at the age of eight. His father was also a Capoeirista, or practitioner of Capoeira Angola, the traditional style of Capoeira in Bahia, Brazil. Read more...
Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil Portuguese pronunciation: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil,
listen (help·info)), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers (3.2 million square miles) and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the fifth most populous. The capital is Brasília, and the most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states, the Federal District, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi). It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent's land area. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection. Read more...- Pé de Chumbo is a master of Capoeira Angola, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, and a student of João Pequeno's. This mestre is one of the few capoeira angola mestres who carry on the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola (CECA) school created by Mestre Pastinha. He has academies in Brazil and in Europe - including several academies in Sweden, Portugal, Mexico City, Germany and the United States. Mestre Pé de Chumbo (literally Master Foot of Lead) was one of the first capoeira angola masters to take the Bahian art form to São Paulo and is known in capoeira circles for his low ground movements, dedication to his master and focus on the traditional aspects of the capoeira game. Read more...
The Associação Brasileira de Apoio e Desenvolvimento da Arte-Capoeira (ABADÁ-Capoeira), in English translated as "The Brazilian Association for the Support and Development of the Art of Capoeira," is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to spread and support Brazilian culture through the practice of capoeira. Founded in 1988 by Mestre Camisa, José Tadeu Carneiro Cardoso, ABADÁ is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is one of the largest capoeira organizations in the world with over 41,000 members representing schools throughout every state of Brazil as well as 30 different countries. ABADÁ is distinguished from other capoeira organizations by its worldwide growth as well as its style, standards, and philosophy. Read more...
Mestre Cobra Mansa (born Cinézio Feliciano Peçanha, 1960 in Duque de Caxias, Brazil) commonly known as Cobrinha and Cobrinha Mansa, is a mestre or master of Capoeira Angola. He is one of the founders and the guiding light of an organization known as FICA (in Portuguese, an acronym for Fundaçao Internacional de Capoeira de Angola) or ICAF (in English, this stands for the International Capoeira Angola Foundation, which is the literal translation of the words which make up the acronym FICA). FICA/ICAF is the largest standing Capoeira Organization in the world, its influence spanning several continents, having schools and centers that collaborate with US NGO's and other affiliates from the United States. These partnering organizations are located in several countries around the world with locations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Read more...- Grupo Capoeira Brasil is an organization that practices, teaches, and demonstrates the Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. Grupo Capoeira Brasil practices a style of Capoeira known as Capoeira Regional Contemporânea. This style is derived from movements and sequences developed and systematized by Mestre Bimba's Luta Regional Baiana, the adapted techniques of Grupo Senzala, as well as influences from the founding Mestres of Grupo Capoeira Brasil, each of whom brought personal contributions specific to their ideology, stylistic methodology and personality. Read more...
- Vicente Ferreira Pastinha (commonly called Mestre Pastinha) (April 5, 1889, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil – November 13, 1981) was a mestre (a master practitioner) of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira. Read more...
The Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, noted for its acrobatic movements and kicks, has been featured in numerous films, TV shows and video game series. Read more...
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Selected images
Zumbi (1927) by Antônio Parreiras
Painting of fighting in Brazil c. 1824 by Augustus Earle
Capoeiristas in a roda (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
A capoeira demonstration at the Helsinki Samba Carnaval in Finland
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