Capoeira; The Forbidden Game

The first time I came in contact with capoeira was playing Eddie in the video game Tekken. The same sweeping moves I saw again when I came here, you have it on the streets or the beach. I do not play myself but I have met many foreigners that have come to Rio and Brazil to do it. On this page I have put together some info on where you can do it and also where you can buy the pants. At the bottom I have some capoeira videos. I will start with some history.

Mestre Bimba
You can´t talk about capoeira without mentioning him; 1937 he founded the first academy and managed to take it from the slums to all Brazilians. Many people think that the art of self defence always was hidden in the moves (maybe a reason it got prohibited), Mestre Bimba made it visible. He founded a new style called regional which is faster, more spectacular and includes more clear martial arts. As a counter movement a Mestre Pastinha founded the style Angola which preserved the old traditional style. It became popular around the world in the 90´s, the style that is most common is Mestre Bimba´s.

Some Videos
If you click Capoeira Videos you will come to my page with clips of it all in action!

The Music
The music plays an integral role in the rituals and the performances. I have explained all this in more detail at the page Capoeira Music . There you also find some clips with example music.

Academies in Rio
So if you want to attend classes here in Rio, where should you go? All this you find by clicking Capoeira Classes . With descriptions of each academy.

The Moves
If you want to know more and see some different moves that are used just go to capoierascience.com . It´s an excellent site with lot´s of moves, descriptions and illustrative video clips.

Buying Clothes & Instruments
To finish off I will give some advice on where it´s best to buy those pants or other garment as well as instruments. Click Capoeira Pants to get there.