History of Capoeira

Nowadays, it is thought that slaves from Angola, who were first brought to Brazil in the 16th century, developed Capoeira as a self-defense technique. Basing themselves on traditional African dances and rituals, these slaves practiced Capoeira in the work free hours left to them, thus training both mind and body for combat situations. As the slave-masters forbade any kind of martial art, it was cloaked in the guise of an innocent-looking recreational dance. In the 17th century escaped-slaves founded a number of "quilombos" (hidden slave-governed territories), in which the Art of Capoeira was further perfected. The inhabitants of Palmares, the largest of the quilombo, fought a decade-long war againsttheir colonial oppressors. Capoeira was used not only in direct combat, it also inspired the battle strategy itself; feigning retreat, thus luring the over-confident enemy into remote territories only to strike back at an unsuspecting place and time.

History of Maculele

Maculele is a traditional stick dance that is a remainder warrior dance that has its roots in Africa. The participants utilize twelve inch sticks during this ritual which symbolize weapons. These sticks were later replaced by the machetes of sugar cane workers during Brazil’s colonial era. Maculele was performed at the end of the sugarcane harverst. Maculele features an attacker and an opponent executing a variety of attack and defense maneuvers including crossing sticks overhead and in front of the body as blocking strategies. The fast tempo of tribal influenced rhythms makes Maculele come alive in the roda.