What is Capoeira?
Capoeira is an art form which combines martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. At its heart Capoeira is a fighting game which takes place in the Capoeira Roda. Participants form a circle, sing, clap and play traditional musical instruments. Two players enter the roda and challenge each other using kicks, sweeps, acrobatic movements and trickery.
Capoeira is..
- A lot of fun
- Great exercise
- Extremely sociable
- A great way to de-stress and unwind
- A challenge
- Creativity and expression
- A way to grow and learn about yourself
History
Capoeira comes from the time of slavery in Brazil. Portuguese colonists took slaves from Africa to the Brazilian colony to work on their plantations. These slaves came from various parts of Africa and brought their traditions and cultures with them. From this mixing of cultures among the African slaves in Brazil, Capoeira was born. The exact origins and history of Capoeira are unclear as there are few intact records from that time and the period has not been well studied. One popular story is that the slaves were not allowed to practice fighting techniques but cleverly disguised their training as a dance to avoid punishment.
Brazil abolished slavery on May 13th 1888, and this is where our group gets it's name: Abolição meaning Abolition. After slavery the now free Africans in Brazil were largely unemployed. Capoeira became associated with crime, street gangs and mercenaries, and in 1890 the practice of Capoeira was outlawed, although it still continued in hiding. Capoeira remained illegal until 1937 when, thanks to the work of Mestre Bimba, Capoeira was legalized.
Capoeira Styles
- Capoeira Regional
In the 1920s, Mestre Bimba, a Capoeira fighter from Salvador Bahia developed the first formalised Capoeira training system and, in 1932, founded the first ever Capoeira school. Bimba called his teaching methodology A Luta Regional Baiana (The Regional fight of Bahia). Today it is known as Capoeira Regional. - Capoeira Angola
Capoeira Angola became the term for the exisiting styles which were around at the time of Mestre Bimba, but not influenced by it. Mestre Pastinha was one prominent Capoeira player who in 1941 founded his own Capoeira school called Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola. Capoeira Angola tends to be more ritualistic than other styles and the game emphasises playfulness and trickery rather than speed, power and acrobatic techniques. - Contemporary Capoeira
Capoeira has spread around the world as a popular sport and continues to evolve. Many modern Capoeira groups have added new movements and difficult and impressive acrobatic techniques. The Capoeira of those groups who have not stuck strictly to the Regional or Angola styles is often known as Capoeira Contemporânea.
In group Abolição we base our training in Capoeira Regional as created by Mestre Bimba.