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History of capoeira

San Salvador, 1835, by Rugendas. "The scene is set in a clearing surrounded by tropical vegetation and palm trees, corresponding precisely to the space called capoeira in Brazil."[1]

The history of capoeira explores the origins and development of capoeira, the Brazilian martial art, that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music.

In the past, many participants used the name angola or the term brincar de angola ("playing angola") for this art.[2] In formal documents, capoeira was known as "capoeiragem", with a practitioner being known as a "capoeira". Gradually, the art became known as capoeira with a practitioner being called a capoeirista.[3]

Capoeira first appeared among Africans in Brazil, during early colonial period. Existing sources document only two African combat games that use kicking and head butting: engolo in Angola and moraingy on Madagascar and surrounding islands.[4] According to the old capoeira mestres and tradition within the community, capoeira originates from Angola.[5][6] Although the origin of capoeira is not entirely clear, many studies have supported the oral tradition, identifying engolo as an ancestral art and locating the Cunene region as its birthplace.[7][8][9] Still, some authors believe there were more ancestors besides engolo.[10] At the core of capoeira we find techniques developed in engolo, including crescent kicks, push kicks, sweeps, handstands, cartwheels, evasions and even the iconic Meia lua de compasso, scorpion kick and L-kick.[8][11]

More slaves were sent from Southern Angola to Rio de Janeiro than from any other region of Africa.[12] Rio de Janeiro, the epicenter of capoeira in the 19th century, saw the development of an extremely violent style of capoeira carioca associated with gangs or maltas. This street-fighting capoeira was mix of various fighting techniques: foot kicks, head butts, hand blows, knife fight and stick-fighting,[13] only the first arguably originated from the Angolan art.[14] That violent version of capoeira is now generally extinct.

Modern capoeira comes from Bahia, and was codified by mestre Bimba and mestre Pastinha, in regional and angola style. Despite their significant differences, both mestres introduced major innovations — they moved training and rodas from the streets indoors, instituted the academia, prescribed uniforms, started to teach women and presented capoeira to a broader audiences.

  1. ^ Assunção, 2002, pp 98.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference noronha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Roberto Pedreira, Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856–1949
  4. ^ Assunção 2002, pp. 45.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pastinha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Assunção 2002, pp. 156.
  7. ^ Da minha África e do Brasil que eu vi, Albano Neves e Sousa. Angola: Ed. Luanda.
  8. ^ a b Matthias Röhrig Assunção, Engolo and Capoeira. From Ethnic to Diasporic Combat Games in the Southern Atlantic
  9. ^ Desch-Obi 2008, pp. 206–207.
  10. ^ Assunção 2002, pp. 53.
  11. ^ Desch-Obi 2008, pp. 219–224.
  12. ^ Desch-Obi 2008, pp. 291.
  13. ^ Assunção 2002, pp. 83.
  14. ^ Desch-Obi 2008, pp. 209.
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