About Capoeira

Capoeira's origins are intimately connected with Brazilian history, the first several centuries of which were in the context of chattel slavery, evolving as part of Brazilian society in its transitions from monarchy into republic. Capoeira was a weapon that exploited African slaves and their underprivileged descendents used to combat the physical, mental, and spiritual controls imposed upon them by European society. Adapting to changing social circumstances over time, Capoeira has retained its fundamental characteristics—a fusion of self-defense, dance, sport, music, leisure, and poetry reflecting the rich Afro-Brazilian culture of which it was born. It is a lifestyle and philosophy, manifesting itself in the very essence of its practitioners' minds, bodies, and spirits.

Capoeira embodies a great message which has been passed down from generation to generation, promoting the importance of individual development and social unity in transcending the difficulties life presents. Today, it can be found in many segments of Brazilian society, and it is beginning to have a strong international impact. Street demonstrations are not uncommon in big cities around the world, and it has been employed in movies and theater production. Because of it educational potential, Capoeira is taught in schools and universities, community centers and gyms, yoga and dance studios, as well as in rehabilitation and treatment centers for a variety of physical and mental handicaps.

These last paragraphs might leave a reader no closer to answering the question that is the title of this work than he or she was before starting it. What is Capoeira? An incredible amount of illiterate Brazilians have understood the answer to this question, so the answer we seek is clearly available in between the lines, at best, in anything written down. Like many manifestations of the African cultural diaspora, information is passed down orally, via ritual and collective experience, stories, song, and dance. Thus, to understand Capoeira is to experience it personally—to negotiate one's beliefs and perceptions of 'what is' within this incredibly complex interaction of individual and group and energies beyond any simple words. In other words, to understand Capoeira is to understand oneself within Capoeira—two things that take many-a-lifetime to comprehend. So lets start simple.

The following chapters are an attempt to provide a basic picture of the more tangible elements of Capoeira. This work will be read differently by everyone reading it, being that its content will be processed by the unique filters and lenses of the individual. But the basic format and content has been written with consideration of those who might have no idea at all about what Capoeira is, as well as those who might have years of experience. In any case, enjoy.

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