Leave a Comment

Capoeira Angola

Capoeira Angola is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines acrobatics, fighting, music, African history and philosophy and refers to every capoeira style that keeps the traditions held before the creation of the Regional style. Enslaved Africans brought the movements of Capoeira Angola to Brazil, disguising the martial elements of Capoeira Angola as dance and adding music and singing. Since the abolition of slavery until present day, Capoeira Angola continued to develop as a community instrument of freedom and social resistance.

In 1941, Mestre Pastinha who was much respected by recognized capoeira masters, opened the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola (CECA). His preference for the playful aspects of the game, rather than the martial side, became associated with Angola style that was also characterized as being strategic, with slow, smooth, sneaking movements played low to the ground.

The music typically played with capoeira is in bateria (percussion band) formation in a roda of Capoeira Angola. Instruments played are three berimbaus (stringed percussion instrument), two pandeiros (tambourine-like instrument), one atabaque (tall drum), one agogô (cowbell-like instrument) and one ganzuá (bamboo stick instrument). Today, Capoeira Angola groups flourish across Brazil and around the world.

Leave a Comment

Maculelê

Maculele

Maculelê, a mock stick fighting dance, is danced within a roda (circle) of people. The atabaque drum is played and Maculelê songs are sung. People in the roda each have a pair or wooden sticks traditionally made from biriba wood from Brazil. The sticks, called grimas, are used to hit to the beat of the drum. The two people in the roda play and dance to the rhythm. They hit their sticks together for three beats and on every fourth beat, they hit each other’s sticks held by the right hand. The dance is a part of  the tradition of Capoeira.

During performances, performers traditionally wear grass skirts and some dancers play with machetes instead of wooden sticks. This dance was developed by enslaved Afro-Brazilians cutting down sugar cane in the field.

Leave a Comment

Samba de Roda

Samba de Roda, which involves festive music, dance and singing, was developed in the state of Bahia, in the region of  the Recôncavo during the 17th century. It evolved from the dances, rhythms, and cultural traditions from different regions in Africa where enslaved Africans brought to Brazil were from. One of the defining characteristics of the dance is the gathering of participants in a circle (roda) while each one takies turns dancing in the center of the ring while the others clap their hands and sing. At first, a major component of regional popular culture among Afro-Bahians, the Samba de Roda was eventually taken by migrants to Rio de Janeiro, where it influenced the evolution of the urban samba that became a symbol of Brazilian national identity in the 20th century.