Capoeira originated in the country of Brazil. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Portugal shipped slaves into South America from western Africa. Brazil was one of the many American destinations for African captives, where the indians were already being slaved, with 42% of all enslaved peoples shipped across the Atlantic. Africans brought their cultural traditions and religions with them to the New World and in combination with the already slaved and christianized indians the art of capoeira was created. Evidence of this fact is clearly found in the music of capoeira. One theory suggests that capoeira originated from a fern courtship dance in Angola used by suitors of young women, however, if capoeira existed in Africa prior, there would be Capoeira in other countries of the northern hemisphere, such as Europe and United States, since these two countries also used slave labor. There is contention as to whether the game arrived with enslaved Africans, but these speculations are not supported by facts. One catalyst for capoeira was the homogenization of Indians and African people under the oppression of slavery. Capoeira emerged as a way to resist oppression, secretly practice art, transmit culture, and lift spirits. Slaved people used this martial art form to combat Portuguese plantation/slave owners. One example of amazing resilience of people practicing Capoeira is the civilization known as Palmares. Most Brazilian scholars have argued that capoeira emerged as a way to conceal the fact that slaves were practicing to fight (against their owners), concealing it with a seemingly happy dance routine. This explains why today's capoeira appears to be a mix of both fighting techniques and flowing artful dance. Batuque and maculelê are other fight-dances also developed by African-descended populations that are closely connected to capoeira. There are also engravings and writings that describe a now-lost fighting dance in Cuba, the baile del maní, with two Bantu men moving to the yuka drums. An Aú Aberto. Note that the face remains forward so as to watch the opponent An Aú Aberto. Note that the face remains forward so as to watch the opponent After slavery was abolished in 1888, the freed people often moved to the cities of Brazil. The indians, in their natural habitat assisted the run-away african and together created the Quilombos. They did not move into the cities but the african slaves did and with employment scarce, many joined or formed criminal gangs. They continued to practice capoeira, which in time became associated with anti-government and criminal activities. As a result, capoeira was outlawed in Brazil in 1890, and the punishments for practicing it were extreme (often, practitioners would have the tendons on the backs of their feet cut), and the police were vicious in their attempts to stamp out the art. Capoeira continued to be practiced, though it was forced to move further underground. Rodas were often held in areas with plenty of escape routes, and a special rhythm called cavalaria was created to warn players if the police were coming. Capoeira practitioners (capoeiristas) also adopted apelidos or nicknames which made it more difficult for police to discover their true identities. To this day, when students are baptized into capoeira at the batizado ceremony, they are often given an apelido as a matter of tradition. Legal persecution of the art eventually began to fade, thanks in large part to the work of Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba made a major contribution to the preservation of the art by establishing the first capoeira academy in Brazil. This was a significant development, because it eventually led to the legalization of the art and allowed capoeira to gain popularity at a time when it could have died out and been forgotten. A notable example of Mestre Bimba's influence took place in 1937, when he and his students were invited to perform at an event attended by the Brazilian President Getulio Vargas. Vargas was so impressed with the discipline and devotion of Mestre Bimba's students that he declared capoeira the national sport of Brazil. Mestre Bimba also developed the first codified system of capoeira techniques and introduced further changes which affect the art even to this day. Because of these changes Mestre Bimba was and continues to be a controversial figure within the Capoeira community. Prior to legalization, the general public associated the art of capoeira with the poor underclass, criminal activity and negative stereotypes held about the Afro-Brazilian population. In order to improve this public perception, Mestre Bimba removed many of the traditional capoeira rituals from his style that could have been viewed negatively by the middle and upper classes. He called his new style of capoeira uma luta regional de Bahia (a regional fight from Bahia), which was eventually was shortened to capoeira regional, and subsequently many modern forms of capoeira, even those not directly derived from Bimba's teaching, are also called regional. Mestre Bimba's capoeira regional gained immense popularity, having been made more accessible to the general public. This also led to an effort to prevent the loss of those traditions and rituals that were eliminated by Mestre Bimba. In 1942, Mestre Pastinha opened the first formal academy for instruction in the traditional form of the art, known as capoeira Angola. Mestre Pastinha's efforts prevented capoeira Angola from being lost as the newer, modernized regional gained popularity. This era was a milestone in the development of the teaching methodology of capoeira. Previously, the art was passed down in secret, usually from an older to younger relative, or in small group settings where several young people would receive guidance from elder practitioners. Due to the influence of Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha, the academy system became the predominant form of instruction in the art. Presently, there are capoeira academies on nearly every continent around the world. The establishment of capoeira academies in Brazil resulted in the increased participation of the middle and upper class members of society. Today, the majority of capoeira practitioners come from these groups. Many Mestres today express the need to make the art available once again to members of the lower class who cannot afford the cost of training in an academy. These sentiments are shared by many practitioners, as evidenced by the many capoeira oriented outreach programs in Brazil that work to return capoeira to the underprivileged and recognize the culture that invented the art in the first place. Capoeira today has been spread worldwide, thanks to the efforts of other pioneering contemporary Mestres such as Acordeon, Nestor Capoeira and Mao Branca and the commercialization of this art form known as Regional. It is widely practiced in North America and Europe, where there are academies and groups in nearly every major city. It has even been incorporated into the physical education regimen at Hoggetowne Middle School in Gainesville, Florida.
Capoeira originated in the country of Brazil. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Portugal shipped slaves into South America from western Africa. Brazil was one of the many American destinations for African captives, where the indians were already being slaved, with 42% of all enslaved peoples shipped across the Atlantic. Africans brought their cultural traditions and religions with them to the New World and in combination with the already slaved and christianized indians the art of capoeira was created. Evidence of this fact is clearly found in the music of capoeira. One theory suggests that capoeira originated from a fern courtship dance in Angola used by suitors of young women, however, if capoeira existed in Africa prior, there would be Capoeira in other countries of the northern hemisphere, such as Europe and United States, since these two countries also used slave labor. There is contention as to whether the game arrived with enslaved Africans, but these speculations are not supported by facts. One catalyst for capoeira was the homogenization of Indians and African people under the oppression of slavery. Capoeira emerged as a way to resist oppression, secretly practice art, transmit culture, and lift spirits. Slaved people used this martial art form to combat Portuguese plantation/slave owners. One example of amazing resilience of people practicing Capoeira is the civilization known as Palmares. Most Brazilian scholars have argued that capoeira emerged as a way to conceal the fact that slaves were practicing to fight (against their owners), concealing it with a seemingly happy dance routine. This explains why today's capoeira appears to be a mix of both fighting techniques and flowing artful dance. Batuque and maculelê are other fight-dances also developed by African-descended populations that are closely connected to capoeira. There are also engravings and writings that describe a now-lost fighting dance in Cuba, the baile del maní, with two Bantu men moving to the yuka drums. An Aú Aberto. Note that the face remains forward so as to watch the opponent An Aú Aberto. Note that the face remains forward so as to watch the opponent After slavery was abolished in 1888, the freed people often moved to the cities of Brazil. The indians, in their natural habitat assisted the run-away african and together created the Quilombos. They did not move into the cities but the african slaves did and with employment scarce, many joined or formed criminal gangs. They continued to practice capoeira, which in time became associated with anti-government and criminal activities. As a result, capoeira was outlawed in Brazil in 1890, and the punishments for practicing it were extreme (often, practitioners would have the tendons on the backs of their feet cut), and the police were vicious in their attempts to stamp out the art. Capoeira continued to be practiced, though it was forced to move further underground. Rodas were often held in areas with plenty of escape routes, and a special rhythm called cavalaria was created to warn players if the police were coming. Capoeira practitioners (capoeiristas) also adopted apelidos or nicknames which made it more difficult for police to discover their true identities. To this day, when students are baptized into capoeira at the batizado ceremony, they are often given an apelido as a matter of tradition. Legal persecution of the art eventually began to fade, thanks in large part to the work of Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba made a major contribution to the preservation of the art by establishing the first capoeira academy in Brazil. This was a significant development, because it eventually led to the legalization of the art and allowed capoeira to gain popularity at a time when it could have died out and been forgotten. A notable example of Mestre Bimba's influence took place in 1937, when he and his students were invited to perform at an event attended by the Brazilian President Getulio Vargas. Vargas was so impressed with the discipline and devotion of Mestre Bimba's students that he declared capoeira the national sport of Brazil. Mestre Bimba also developed the first codified system of capoeira techniques and introduced further changes which affect the art even to this day. Because of these changes Mestre Bimba was and continues to be a controversial figure within the Capoeira community. Prior to legalization, the general public associated the art of capoeira with the poor underclass, criminal activity and negative stereotypes held about the Afro-Brazilian population. In order to improve this public perception, Mestre Bimba removed many of the traditional capoeira rituals from his style that could have been viewed negatively by the middle and upper classes. He called his new style of capoeira uma luta regional de Bahia (a regional fight from Bahia), which was eventually was shortened to capoeira regional, and subsequently many modern forms of capoeira, even those not directly derived from Bimba's teaching, are also called regional. Mestre Bimba's capoeira regional gained immense popularity, having been made more accessible to the general public. This also led to an effort to prevent the loss of those traditions and rituals that were eliminated by Mestre Bimba. In 1942, Mestre Pastinha opened the first formal academy for instruction in the traditional form of the art, known as capoeira Angola. Mestre Pastinha's efforts prevented capoeira Angola from being lost as the newer, modernized regional gained popularity. This era was a milestone in the development of the teaching methodology of capoeira. Previously, the art was passed down in secret, usually from an older to younger relative, or in small group settings where several young people would receive guidance from elder practitioners. Due to the influence of Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha, the academy system became the predominant form of instruction in the art. Presently, there are capoeira academies on nearly every continent around the world. The establishment of capoeira academies in Brazil resulted in the increased participation of the middle and upper class members of society. Today, the majority of capoeira practitioners come from these groups. Many Mestres today express the need to make the art available once again to members of the lower class who cannot afford the cost of training in an academy. These sentiments are shared by many practitioners, as evidenced by the many capoeira oriented outreach programs in Brazil that work to return capoeira to the underprivileged and recognize the culture that invented the art in the first place. Capoeira today has been spread worldwide, thanks to the efforts of other pioneering contemporary Mestres such as Acordeon, Nestor Capoeira and Mao Branca and the commercialization of this art form known as Regional. It is widely practiced in North America and Europe, where there are academies and groups in nearly every major city. It has even been incorporated into the physical education regimen at Hoggetowne Middle School in Gainesville, Florida.
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