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"Eh, eh!" This dance can kill" translates the chorus
to one of the many songs played during a Capoeira game, evoking
the art form's inherent contradications. The word "Capoeira"
has possible roots in Portuguese, where it means a chicken coup,
and native Brazilian, where it means forest growth.
Capeoira as an art form is as difficult to define as is its name.
In a ritualistic form of combat, two people play at killing each
other as others stand in a circle singing. Its earliest official
records are found in Brazilian police records in the late 1700s
when Capoeiristas were ex-slaves and their descendants; vagrants
roaming Brazil's city streets in gangs. When Brazil became a republic
in 1822, the art form was banned, and Capoeiristas were imprisoned.
"Capoeira" became synonymous with "vagrant."
In 1932, Mestre Bimba opened the first school of Capoeira, where
he covertly taught the art form to Bahian youth. His style, which
emphasized Capoeira's martial elements, became known as Capoeira
Regional.
The art form gained legitimacy over the next 30 years, and was termed
Brazil's national sport in 1960. About twenty-five years ago, Birra
Almeida brought Capoeira to California, while Jelon Veira did the
same to New York City. Although its definition is still elusive,
the art form thrives today in many of America's urban areas.
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