Capoeira!

Capoeira

Not many people know about capoeira. It is a Brazilian martial art, It was created in Brazil by slaves brought from Africa, especially from present day Angola some time after the 16th century. Capoeira includes music, instruments such as drums and a berimbau and there's singing.

One of the most special events in capoeira is the Batizado, which are like baptisms in the art of capoeira. Members being baptized (Only in their first batizado) get a corda (cord belt) and are given a nickname, (apelido) if they haven't already got on. Batizados are huge events and lots of different capoeira groups and masters are invited.

This martial art includes people gathering round in a roda (hoda) otherwise know as a circle. In this roda people take turns in pairs to fight eachother but unlike karate or judo, you don't have a lot of contact with your opponent because you don't throw them on the floor or grab them in anyway.While you are fighting people around you clap along and sing brazilian songs. The mouth of the roda, which is located directly at the front of the circle, usually where the instruments are played, is where the players begin the game or when someone else wants to buy the game (to begin another game with one of the players already inside the roda.)Not everyone has to play in the roda only if you want to. When you are playing you always have to look at your opponent to know when he/she is kicking or doing any other move because of this you will know when to defend yourself.

The defence moves can be a series of ducks which are called esquivas literally meaning ' escape .' This move can be done high or low depending on the type of kick your partner is doing. You can also defend yourself or escape by doing a small cartwheel to the side, but making sure that you are still looking at your partner! There's also another defence which is very vital in capoeira and is used all of the time even when kicking, ducking lots of things. It is having your right or left arm (depending on which side you are kicking or ducking) in front of your face, so that is a kick come close to you, especially your face, you can block it with your arm!

The attacks are kicks(not actually touching your opponent), sweeps, headbuts and many others. Some schools do punching and hand strikes but it is not common. An explanation for not using your hands to punch or strike, is that people believed that the slaves in Brazil were shackled at the wrists, which restricted them from using their hands. A headbutt can be when a person is in a headstand and you butt into their stomach causing them to lose their balance, these are called "cabeçadas". Capoeira also uses common movemnets to get round your opponent, like cartwheels (au) handstands (bananeira), head spins and hand spins.

There is also the ' Samba de Roda' ,Performed by many capoeira groups, samba de roda is a traditional Afro-Brazilian dance that has been associated with capoeira for many years. The orchestra is composed by pandeiro (tambourine), atabaque (drum), berimbau-viola (berimbau with the smallest cabaça and the highest pitch), chocalho (rattle – a percussion instrument), accompanied by singing and clapping.

Then there is the maculeleThe Maculelê is when each person brandishes a pair of long sticks, traditionally made from biriba wood from Brazil. The sticks, called grimas, traditionally measure 24 inches long by 1 and 1/8 inch thick. As the Maculelê rhythm plays on the atabaque, the people in the circle begin rhythmically striking the sticks together. The leader sings, and the people in the circle respond by singing the chorus of the songs. When the leader gives the signal to begin playing Maculelê, two people enter the circle, and to the rhythm of the atabaque, they begin striking their own and each other's sticks together. On the first three beats, they strike their own sticks together, making expressive and athletic dance movements, and on each fourth beat, they strike each other's respective right-hand stick together. This makes for a dance that looks like "mock stick combat". (Also, traditionally in Maculelê, the players wear dried grass skirts).

Maculele

Roda