1. An Afro-Brazilian Dance and Martial Art
Capoeira
An Afro-Brazilian Dance and Martial Art

2. Overview
History
Popularity
Traditions
Music
Styles

3. What is Capoeira?
Capoeira is a martial art infused dance, which is thought to have originated in the 16th century in Brazil. Although today Capoeira has become somewhat omnipresent with the booming popularity of street acrobatics such as parkour, its history remains mysterious. Discover the story of this 500 year old martial art, and explore the best places to experience Capoeira in Brazil.
Sometimes referred to as a martial art, sometimes a dance, and sometimes even a game, Capoeira is a unique phenomenon which has caught the world’s attention. It is instantly recognizable from its musicality and the movements of the performers, as they seem to move together and then suddenly attack each other, still keeping in time with the rhythm. However despite its rising popularity, the exact origins of the art have been lost in history due to a scarcity of historical evidence and the secretive nature of its beginnings.

4. Origins
It has been suggested that Capoeira was first created during the 16th century by slaves who were taken from West Africa to Brazil by the Portuguese colonists. Prohibited from celebrating their cultural customs and strictly forbidden from practicing any martial arts, Capoeira is thought to have emerged as a way to bypass these two imposing laws. Hidden in the musical and rhythmical elements of the form, violent kicks were disguised as passionate dance movements, and its combination of a mixture of West African cultures saved it from being identified as an attempt to preserve any specific tradition. As such, Capoeira came to life as a survival tool, not only of self-defense, but also as a form of cultural identity.
Using Capoeira, many slaves escaped their masters and formed rebellion groups known as Quilombos, creating communities outside of Portuguese control. These communities stood as strongholds against the Portuguese, and many are famous for the courageous defenses they put up; Palmares is the most famous of these, and is thought to have been home to over 10,000 people. Although there are few historical documents, it is believed that Capoeira was a vital part of their defense and cultural practice.

5. End of Slavery; Rise of Crime
Capoeira was just as difficult to control inside the societies under Portuguese rule. With the growing cities that were forming during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, larger populations resulted in larger communities of slaves in smaller areas. This produced an expanding social culture for slaves, and Capoeira became their main source of popular entertainment. While there were examples of it being used for self-defense, many cases were simply competition or for leisure, creating a difficult dichotomy for the ruling class to deal with. Regardless of the dancers’ intentions, they were often warned and punished for practicing the art form.
The end of slavery in Brazil brought about a darker era for Capoeira, with its martial elements being use for criminal purposes. With the abolishment of slavery in 1888, many newly freed citizens found themselves without home and income, creating widespread poverty. As Brazil’s population expanded in the 19th century, crime exploded within the urban centers and Capoeira was one of the many weapons used by criminal elements. Using fake names to avoid identification and concealing weapons such as razor sharp barber blades, some gangs were trained in the art of Capoeira and caused many problems throughout Brazil. Consequentially Capoeira was outlawed nationally in 1890, and those seen practicing it suffered severe consequences, such as death or having their Achilles heel severed. During this era, stories that both romanticized and vilified Capoeira masters became widespread; one such figure was Nascimento Grande, whose legend portrays him as almost invincible.

6. New Light and Capoeira Today
Capoeira survived the near extinction it faced from illegality, and it was Mestre Bimba from Salvador, one of the last cities where Capoeira was still practiced, who rekindled the popularity of this art form. Presenting the cultural significance of Capoeira while also highlighting the attention it gained from tourists, Bimba successfully convinced Brazilian authorities of the cultural value of the art and was allowed to open the first Capoeira school in 1932, although not under the name of Capoeira as this was still illegal. Bimba’s strict approach to the martial art created new movements and choreographed attacks, which became known as ‘Regional’. In the 1940s the official ban was lifted from Capoeira, and this allowed for two main streams to develop in unison, ‘Regional’, which was influenced by Bimba’s teaching, and ‘Angola’ which looked to the traditions of the art before it was banned.
Today Capoeira is a cultural icon of Brazil, and it is widely practiced around the world. Being performed in different contexts, from entertaining choreographed dances to competitions where one competitor must make the other get out of time with the music or fall over, Capoeira is a diverse martial art and is also popular for those interested in a fun exercise that teaches basic martial arts and acrobatics. If travelling to Brazil, either seeing a Capoeira performance or visiting a Capoeira school is a must.

7. Capoeira in Popular Culture
Capoeira has been featured in numerous films, TV shows and video game series.
State that you’re going to share how Capoeira is expressed in popular culture.
State that overall the representation of the art form is positive.
Bob’s Burger (2011)
“Sexy Dance Fighting”

8. Capoeira in Movies Only The Strong (1993)
Capoeira first caught Hollywood’s eye back in the ’90s with the movie Only The Strong, a 1993 action film, which is the only Hollywood film that showcases Capoeira from beginning to end.
Only The Strong (1993)

9. Capoeira in Movies Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Capoeira on display in a heist movie as a means of breaking into a museum.
Vincent Cassel plays a rich French playboy with too much time on his hands, creating the alais 'The Night Fox' for his numerous thefts. He uses the art of Capoeira (a Brazilian form of dance) to break into a museum to steal the Fabergé Coronation Egg.
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)

10. Capoeira in Movies The Protector (2005)
Capoeira presented as an incredibly elaborate and unpredictable martial art to fight against.
The Protector (2005)

11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Capoeira in Movies
Capoeira popular enough to be featured in a movie about wizards and magic.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

12. Capoeira in Video Games
Fighting game characters who used Capoeira quickly became popular amongst arcade goers due to their unique fighting style, utilizing rhythm and full body motions in the style.
Street Fighter III was the long-awaited hit from Thanks in part to the dazzling animation featured on Elena and her contemporaries. Unfortunately advances in 3D technology were putting the squeeze on Capcom. Namco had fired a shot across the bow of their rival with a new character named Eddy Gordo in the game Tekken 3. The animations for Eddy were created by motion capture. Mestre (master) Marcelo "Caverinha" Pereira lent his talents to the game. The end result was a character that had genuine personality and moved unlike anybody else in fighting game history. Eddy became an overnight sensation. Arcade players were eager to find what combos worked best for the character and even what hidden moves Namco had included. Unlike every other martial art featured in the game Eddy seemed capable of flowing from move to move without having to reset to a standing position. This distinction set Tekken apart from even Street Fighter. For example Elena reset to her standing animation after every attack but Eddy could make an attack into a handstand and still be able to turn and move while upside down. Gordo was such as easy character to control and play as that he became appealing to many novices. They could almost blindly mash the four control buttons and put together a fluid combo string. The term "dial a combo" used by fighting game fans to describe a simple control interface was coined with Eddy in mind. Beginning players looked like pros while Eddy spun, jumped and kicked in all three dimensions. The ease of use upset many players. They felt as if the balance between the various fighting styles had been upset. At no other time had this game or any other inserted a character whose attacks came in rapid succession through simple button sequences. Even Elena required timing and practice just like the other characters in SFIII.
Tekken 3 (1997)

13. Capoeira and Breakdancing
Breakdancing, developed in the 1970s, has many analogous moves. However, the original breakdancers of the early 1970s based their style primarily on actors in Asian kung fu films, but received some influence because demonstrations of Capoeira master Jelon Vieira in New York.
What’s interesting to note is that despite many similarities in the movements between the two styles, they developed mostly on their own. Some practitioners of either dance may even claim plagiarism from the other style.
Considering their similar historical origins, African-Americans and Afro-Brazilians who founded their respective styles could possibly have their influences attributed to their culture carried over from their ancestors.

14. WARNING:
NOT SAFE FOR SCHOOL

15. Capoeira in Professional Fighting
Capoeira, despite being a dance, can still be effective fighting style when in the right hands (and against the right person).

16. Traditions

17. Music

18. Styles

19. The Dance

20. Dancers

21. Questions?