CAPOEIRA

Capoeira is a Brazilian cultural expression that mixes martial arts, sports, popular culture and music. Developed in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with some indigenous influence, it is characterized by agile and complex blows and movements, primarily using kicks and sweeps, as well as head butts, knees, elbows, ground or aerial acrobatics. A feature that distinguishes Capoeira from most other martial arts is its musicality. Practitioners of this Brazilian martial art learn not only to fight and play, but also to play the typical instruments and to sing. An experienced capoeirista who ignores musicality is considered incomplete. The word capoeira comes from the Tupi-Guarani, it refers to the undergrowth areas of the interior of Brazil. It was suggested that capoeira got its name from the places that surrounded the large rural properties with a slave base. Capoeiristas, fugitives from slavery and unaware of the environment around them, often used the undergrowth to hide from the persecution of the capitães-do-mato.