Capoeira is a martial art and dance form that emerged as a disguised self-defense among African slaves in Brazil in the 1600s. African slaves on the sugar cane plantations, the docks, and most famously in the Quilombo de Palmares used capoeira as a weapon. 

Upon realizing its danger early on, slave owners began to punish slaves for practicing capoeira and it soon became outlawed. Capoeiristas then disguised the fight with a dance facade, singing, and clapping, resulting in a improvised game marked with fluid grace, exciting acrobatics, trickery, feints, and cunning.

By teaching capoeira with love and passion, Mestre Bimba was able to transform capoeira in the early twentieth century into not only a legal activity, but Brazil's national sport. He along with Mestre Pastinha were the first to open schools and from them, capoeira spread across the globe. 

Participants form a roda or circle and take turns singing, playing instruments, and sparring in pairs. Sparring partners will engage in an improvised game of attack (usually without contact) and escape.

Capoeira is a fast and versatile martial art which is historically focused on fighting outnumb. Common attacks include kicks, takedowns, and leg sweeps. More advance players will use headbutts, elbow strikes, slaps, punches, and body throws. Partners will also use acrobatic play, feints, and calls within the game. Unique and essential to the flow of capoeira, stylized escapes are used in response to the attacks.

 The attacks in the Capoeira should be done when opportunity arises and must be decisive, like a direct kick in the face or a vital body part, or a strong takedown. Most Capoeira attacks are made with the legs, like direct or swirling kicks, rasteiras (leg sweeps), tesouras or knee strikes. The head strike is a very important counter-attack move. Elbow strikes, punches and other forms of takedowns complete the main list.

 The defense is based on the principle of non-resistance, meaning avoid an attack using evasive moves instead of blocking it. Avoids are called esquivas, which depend on the direction of the attack and intention of the defender, and can be done standing or with a hand leaning on the floor. A block should only be made when the esquiva is not possible. This fighting strategy allows quick and unpredictable counter attacks, the ability to focus on more than one adversary and to face empty-handed an armed adversary.

The game of CAPOEIRA is marked by a dialog of calls and responses both in physica movements between the players and among the musicians and singers. Rather than purely aggressive, a good capoeira game will demonstrate both players' accomplishments in technique, skill, and dialogue and won't necessarily result in full contact. 

An important ingredient in a good capoeira game will also be the energy built up through the music and singing of those forming the roda. With capoeira training, students build the skill to fight, play, and dance simultaneously. 

To achieve great games that are both strong in technique and expression, classes are high-energy, work with all of the body's muscles, and provide total conditioning. 

Because the game is played to performed and sung music, classes often also have an element of instruction including playing the music of capoeira (with the birembau, atabaque, pandeiro, agogô, etc) and with singing in Brazilian Portuguese.  

MACULELê

Maculelê is a Brazilian folkloric dance that is performed with sticks. Many groups consider dried sugar cane to be the traditional material, but the sticks can be made of wood or hard, natural fiber. 

 The dance is sometimes performed with machetes or even fire. The origin of Maculelê is controversial. Some say that Maculelê originated in Brazilian sugar cane plantations by African slaves others say that it has its roots among native Brazilian peoples.

Most accounts suggest African slaves practiced the dance to relieve their anger against slavery and used the sticks and machetes to defend themselves against the slave masters.