Historia
Capoeira was created in Brazil by enslaved Africans and their descendants, who hid a fighting art inside music and dance. After the abolition of slavery it was banned by the 1890 Penal Code and its players were persecuted.
In the 1930s Mestre Bimba created the faster, more athletic Capoeira Regional, and his school in Salvador was officially registered in 1937. Mestre Pastinha kept the slower, traditional Capoeira Angola and opened his centre in 1941. In 2014 UNESCO listed the capoeira circle (roda) as intangible cultural heritage.
¿Sabías que…?
- A capoeira game is played inside a circle of people called the roda, to live music.
- The berimbau, a one-string musical bow, leads the game: its rhythm sets the speed and style.
- Players use the ginga, a constant swaying step, to keep moving and hide their attacks.
- Students receive a nickname (apelido) and coloured cords instead of belts.
Glosario de técnicas
- Ginga
- basic swaying step
- Meia-lua de frente
- inside-out crescent kick
- Meia-lua de compasso
- spinning heel kick with hand on the ground
- Armada
- spinning kick
- Martelo
- roundhouse kick
- Bênção
- pushing front kick
- Rasteira
- leg sweep
- Aú
- cartwheel
- Cabeçada
- headbutt
Armas y equipo
- Berimbau
- one-string musical bow that leads the roda
- Pandeiro
- tambourine
- Atabaque
- tall drum
- Agogô
- double bell
⚔ In the Arsenal
Berimbau
☯ Philosophy and quotes
“Capoeira is everything the mouth eats.”— Mestre Pastinha, saying of the Capoeira Angola master (20th century)
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Figuras clave
- Mestre Bimba (1899–1974) — creator of Capoeira Regional
- Mestre Pastinha (1889–1981) — guardian of Capoeira Angola
- Besouro Mangangá (1895–1924) — legendary capoeirista of Bahia
Fuentes: UNESCO — Capoeira circle · IPHAN (Brazil) · Encyclopaedia Britannica