What is Capoeira?

Is Capoeira an acrobatic martial-art, a corporal dialogue, or a game of intention? Although the origins of Capoeira are still shrouded in mystery, it is well established that Capoeira is a cultural manifestation of the experience of enslaved peoples and their descendents in colonial Brazil. Stripped of their cultural identities the motley groups of slaves were forced to forge a new cultural identity. Working in the slave camps the only hope of escape lay in their own sense of self and in their thoughts. Within their bodies they found their most valuable weapon with which to transcend oppression and gain freedom.

Capoeira remains to this day a powerful medium of communication that embodies and combines elements of combat, dance, rhythms, acrobatics, music and much more. It is a game of intention in which, good and bad do not exist and, like life, the trivialities of the game are played out moment to moment in the Roda. The Roda is a place where free expression and spontaneity meet intention to create a primal corporal dialogue.