History Of Capoeira

THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION SEEMS SO SHORT AND SO SIMPLE. UNFORTUNATELY IT ISN'T. THROUGH MY STUDIES OF THIS EXOTIC ART, I'VE REALIZED THAT CAPOEIRA IS MORE THAN JUST A NAME.........

ALTHOUGH CAPOEIRA HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1600'S, IT'S PAST IS SOMEWHAT VAGUE. MANY PEOPLE SAY THAT IT ORIGINATED STRICTLY IN AFRICA, SOME SAY ONLY IN BRAZIL. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT I'VE LEARNED AND HOPE IT HELPS CREATE SOME INSIGHT ON THE TRUTH. HERE IS THE HISTORY AS I KNOW IT, AS IT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN TO ME THROUGH BOOKS, PEOPLE, AND SONGS.

DURING THE SLAVE YEARS IN BRAZIL, AFRICAN SLAVES WERE IMPORTED INTO THREE MAIN REGIONS OF BRAZIL: BAHIA, RECIFE, AND RIO DE JANEIRO. IN THESE AREAS ARE THE STAGING GROUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPOEIRA. THE AFRICAN SLAVES WORKED THERE IN THE SUGAR AND TOBACCO FIELDS. AS MORE SLAVES WERE BROUGHT IN, THE LARGE GROUPS OF AFRICANS REALIZED THAT THEIR SITUATION WAS IRREVERSIBLE, WHICH LED TO CONSTANT UPRISINGS. IN RECIFE, A GROUP OF ABOUT 40 SLAVES REVOLTED AND BURNED DOWN THE PLANTATION HOUSE THAT HELD THEM CAPTIVE.

NOW FREE, THE REFUGEE SLAVES HEADED FOR THE MOUNTAINS, WHICH WAS A LONG AND DANGEROUS TRIP. WITH SOME HELP FROM THE INDIANS, THESE REFUGEES FOUND A SETTING IN THE MOUNTAINS THAT WAS CONSIDERED A "SAFE PLACE". THIS SAFE PLACE WAS COVERED WITH PALM TREES, WHICH GAVE IT THE NAME; PALMARES. THIS WAS THE NEW AFRICAN COLONY, STATIONED IN BRAZIL. THIS NEW COMMUNITY WAS MADE UP OF FREED SLAVES, WHICH CREATED SOME OF THE FIRST FORMS OF CAPOEIRA.

OVER MANY YEARS, THESE TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS WERE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS. BY THIS TIME, SOME WHITES AND INDIANS HAD JOINED THESE COMMUNITIES. WITH THESE NEW ADDITIONS, IT CAUSED A CULTURAL FUSION, JOINING SEPARATE RITUALS, RELIGION, AND GAMES. ONE RESULT OF THIS RICH CULTURAL FUSION WAS CAPOEIRA IN IT'S EARLIEST FORM.

PALMARES GREW VERY QUICKLY AS MORE REFUGEES ARRIVED, WHICH SCARED THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT. THE REFUGEES WOULD LEAVE THEIR HAVEN TO TRADE PRODUCE, FRUIT, AND ANIMAL SKINS. DURING THESE TRAVELS, SOME REFUGEES WOULD RAID PLANTATIONS AND FREE MORE SLAVES, WHICH ADDED TO THE COMMUNITIES' POPULATION.

TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, HOLLAND DECIDED TO INVADE BRAZIL IN 1630. THE FORMER SLAVES USED THIS TO THEIR ADVANTAGE, FORE NOW THE PORTUGUESE ARMY HAD TWO SEPARATE ENEMIES TO FIGHT. THE DUTCH WON THE WAR, BUT THE AFRICANS NEVER STOPPED FIGHTING. IN 1644, THE DUTCH DECIDED THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH AND AN EXPEDITION WAS SENT TO THE MOUNTAINS, CONSISTING OF WELL ARMED AND EXPERIENCED SOLDIERS, TO CRUSH THE REBELS.

IRONICALLY, THE AFRICANS STOOD THEIR GROUND AND THE EXPEDITION FAILED. THE AFRICANS HAD USED ONE OF THE EARLIEST FORMS OF JUNGLE WAR FARE. THESE HIT AND RUN TACTICS, COMBINED WITH THE ELUSIVE FORM OF CAPOEIRA, IMPOSED A LARGE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE WHITE MEN. NOT ACCEPTING DEFEAT, ANOTHER EXPEDITION WAS SENT A FEW YEARS LATER, WHICH ALSO FAILED. SO NOW, CAPOEIRA WASN'T ONLY THEIR NEW WEAPON, IT WAS THEIR NEW SYMBOL OF FREEDOM.

AS TIME WENT ON, SOME EXPEDITIONS BECAME SEMI-SUCCESSFUL. WHEN THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL, CAPTURED SLAVES WERE BROUGHT BACK AND REINTRODUCED TO THE WORK FORCE ON THE PLANTATIONS. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A CAPOEIRISTA TO TEACH THE REST OF THE SLAVES HOW TO FIGHT AND ESCAPE. ON SUNDAY, THEIR ONLY DAY OF REST, THESE RECAPTURED SLAVES WOULD TEACH CAPOEIRA TO THE OTHERS.

PROBLEMS AROSE WITH THE TEACHING, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE QUARTERS THAT THE SLAVES STAYED IN WERE MONITORED FROM TIME TO TIME. WITH THIS NEW OBSTACLE, CAPOEIRA BEGAN TO DEVELOP EVEN FURTHER. MUSIC, SINGING, DANCING, AND RITUALS WERE ADDED TO CAPOEIRA TO HELP DISGUISE THE ART FORM. WHEN A SLAVE MASTER WOULD COME, THEY WOULD STOP THE TRAINING AND CONTINUE ON AS IF THEY WERE HAVING A FESTIVAL OR PARTY. WHEN THE MASTER LEFT, THEY CONTINUED PRACTICING THEIR DEADLY MARTIAL ART.

IN THE SPAN OF 25 YEARS, THE PORTUGUESE COLONIES SUFFERED 11 REBELLIONS THAT CULMINATED WITH THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY ON MAY 13, 1888. AFTER THE ABOLITION, SOME EX-SLAVES WENT BACK TO AFRICA, BUT MOST STAYED IN BRAZIL. NO LONGER WANTING TO STAY NEAR THE PLANTATIONS, THEY WENT TO THE CITIES TO LOOK FOR WORK, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WASN'T ANY. SOME OF THE EX-SLAVES WERE HIRED AS BODYGUARDS FOR HIGH OFFICIALS, BECAUSE OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF CAPOEIRA. MOST BANDED TOGETHER IN CRIMINAL GANGS, WHICH USED CAPOEIRA TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED. THIS CREATED A BAD NAME FOR CAPOEIRA IN THE STREETS.

WITH ALL THAT WAS GOING ON, THE PRESIDENT CREATED A SPECIAL POLICE FORCE TO DEAL WITH THE CAPOEIRA GANGS. AT FIRST, THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. SOON A LAW WAS PASSED THAT ANYONE PRACTICING CAPOEIRA WOULD BE EXILED. TO ENFORCE THIS LAW, BRAZIL'S MOST RUTHLESS POLICE CHIEF WAS HIRED. HIS NAME WAS SAMPAIO. SAMPAIO WAS VERY GOOD AT HIS JOB, BUT WHAT THE GANGS DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT HE WAS A VERY GOOD CAPOEIRISTA.

SAMPAIO'S SPECIAL POLICE FORCE LEANED THE MOST DANGEROUS MOVES IN CAPOEIRA, SO THEY COULD FIGHT THEIR ENEMY ON COMMON GROUND. SAMPAIO WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIS GOAL OF ELIMINATING CAPOEIRA FOREVER, BUT WOULD ACCIDENTALLY UNDO ALL HIS PROGRESS BY ARRESTING A MAN NAMED JUCA. JUCA WAS CAUGHT PRACTICING CAPOEIRA, AND DOING SO, IT MADE HIM A CRIMINAL. JUCA'S FATHER WAS WELL KNOWN AND FAVORED BY MANY POLITICIANS. AFTER THE ARREST, THE PRESIDENT CALLED A SPECIAL MEETING WITH HIS CABINET AND AFTER 18 DAYS, TWO IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF THE CABINET RESIGNED AND JUCA WAS EXILED.

AFTER THIS EVENT, EVERYONE EXPECTED THAT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE CAPOEIRISTAS WOULD CHANGE. THEY WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE, BUT IT WASN'T WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND. THE OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT CREATED A BLACK MILITIA, WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO DISRUPT THE PRESIDENT. THIS MILITIA SPREAD FEAR THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL. RIGHT WHEN THINGS LOOKED DARK FOR THE PRESIDENT, BRAZIL WENT TO WAR WITH PARAGUAY. THE BLACK MILITIA THAT CAUSED SO MANY PROBLEMS, WAS SENT TO THE FRONT LINES AND SUDDENLY THE OUTLAWS BECAME NATIONAL HEROES. WITH THIS, CAPOEIRA ENTERED ANOTHER PHASE IN IT'S DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORY.

THE LAW THAT PROHIBITED THE PRACTICE OF CAPOEIRA LASTED UNTIL 1920. DURING THAT TIME, CAPOEIRA WAS DISGUISED AS A FOLK DANCE. CAPOEIRISTAS WOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO KEEP THEIR STYLE ALIVE. A MAN NAMED MANOEL DOS REIS MACHADO, NICKNAMED MESTRE BIMBA, WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS TALENT AND IN 1937, MESTRE BIMBA WAS INVITED BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE CAPITAL TO DEMONSTRATE HIS ART. AFTER HIS SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE, MESTRE BIMBA WENT BACK TO HIS HOME STATE AND WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE GOVERNMENT, OPENED THE FIRST CAPOEIRA SCHOOL IN BRAZIL. MANOEL DOS REIS MACHADO (MESTRE BIMBA) KEPT THE TRADITIONS ALIVE WITH HIS SCHOOL. MESTRE BIMBA DEVELOPED THE CAPOEIRA REGIONAL STYLE.

ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT MAN NAMED VICENTE FERREIRA PASTINHA, MESTRE PASTINHA, WHO TAUGHT CAPOEIRA ANGOLA (TRADITIONAL CAPOEIRA) FOR DECADES IN BAHIA, EVEN AFTER BECOMING BLIND IN HIS 70'S. PEOPLE LIKE THESE NAMED ABOVE PAVED THE WAY FOR CAPOEIRA NOT ONLY BE ACCEPTED, BUT AROUND 1939, A BILL HAD BEEN PASSED BY THE SENATE TO MAKE CAPOEIRA BRAZIL'S NATIONAL SPORT. TODAY CAPOEIRA CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN BRAZIL, IT CAN BE FOUND IN MILITARY ACADEMIES, UNIVERSITIES, AND EVEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

AS CAPOEIRA GREW AND MORE SCHOOLS WERE STARTED, RULES AND REGULATIONS WERE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO BRING SOME TYPE OF STANDARD TO THE ART. ALTHOUGH MOST MESTRES VARY ON HOW THEY TEACH, THEY USUALLY HAVE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS TO ADVANCE TO HIGHER LEVELS. AS TIME PASSED, A LOT OF THE "WRINKLES" HAVE BEEN IRONED OUT AND RANKS WERE SIGNIFIED BY CHORDS.

THE STUDENT'S ABILITY IS RECOGNIZED BY THE COLOR OF THE CHORD THEY WEAR. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOOD TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR TECHNIQUE, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE RODA, YOUR POWER LIES IN YOUR ABILITY TO HIDE YOUR SKILL. IF YOU WEAR NO CHORD IN A JOGO, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOU. THIS HIDING AND SECRECY IS WHAT MAKES CAPOEIRA SO DANGEROUS.

CAPOEIRA HAS CHANGED MUCH OVER THE YEARS AND I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, IN ORDER TO ADAPT TO THE TIMES. THE VERY IDEA OF A CAPOEIRISTA BEING A CHAMELEON IS WHY THIS ART IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HAS LASTED THIS LONG. THIS EXOTIC AND ELUSIVE ART WILL SURVIVE BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST.

THE MORE I LEARN ABOUT CAPOEIRA, THE MORE I APPRECIATE THE TRADITIONS, RITUALS, AND STRUGGLES IT HAD TO GO THROUGH TO SURVIVE. I DEDICATE THIS SITE TO SPREAD THE KNOWLEDGE OF CAPOEIRA, IN HOPES TO NOT ONLY TEACH OTHERS OF IT'S POWER, BUT TO ALSO TEACH MYSELF.


	GIARDINO CAPOEIRA \| Home History Of Capoeira \| Mestre Bimba's Rules \| Songs \| Videos \| Capoeira Terms \| Miscellaneous \| Capoeira Pictures \| Other Links \| Contact Me A História De Capoeira (History Of Capoeira) WHAT IS CAPOEIRA? THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION SEEMS SO SHORT AND SO SIMPLE. UNFORTUNATELY IT ISN'T. THROUGH MY STUDIES OF THIS EXOTIC ART, I'VE REALIZED THAT CAPOEIRA IS MORE THAN JUST A NAME......... IT'S A LIFE. ALTHOUGH CAPOEIRA HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1600'S, IT'S PAST IS SOMEWHAT VAGUE. MANY PEOPLE SAY THAT IT ORIGINATED STRICTLY IN AFRICA, SOME SAY ONLY IN BRAZIL. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT I'VE LEARNED AND HOPE IT HELPS CREATE SOME INSIGHT ON THE TRUTH. HERE IS THE HISTORY AS I KNOW IT, AS IT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN TO ME THROUGH BOOKS, PEOPLE, AND SONGS. DURING THE SLAVE YEARS IN BRAZIL, AFRICAN SLAVES WERE IMPORTED INTO THREE MAIN REGIONS OF BRAZIL: BAHIA, RECIFE, AND RIO DE JANEIRO. IN THESE AREAS ARE THE STAGING GROUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPOEIRA. THE AFRICAN SLAVES WORKED THERE IN THE SUGAR AND TOBACCO FIELDS. AS MORE SLAVES WERE BROUGHT IN, THE LARGE GROUPS OF AFRICANS REALIZED THAT THEIR SITUATION WAS IRREVERSIBLE, WHICH LED TO CONSTANT UPRISINGS. IN RECIFE, A GROUP OF ABOUT 40 SLAVES REVOLTED AND BURNED DOWN THE PLANTATION HOUSE THAT HELD THEM CAPTIVE. NOW FREE, THE REFUGEE SLAVES HEADED FOR THE MOUNTAINS, WHICH WAS A LONG AND DANGEROUS TRIP. WITH SOME HELP FROM THE INDIANS, THESE REFUGEES FOUND A SETTING IN THE MOUNTAINS THAT WAS CONSIDERED A "SAFE PLACE". THIS SAFE PLACE WAS COVERED WITH PALM TREES, WHICH GAVE IT THE NAME; PALMARES. THIS WAS THE NEW AFRICAN COLONY, STATIONED IN BRAZIL. THIS NEW COMMUNITY WAS MADE UP OF FREED SLAVES, WHICH CREATED SOME OF THE FIRST FORMS OF CAPOEIRA. OVER MANY YEARS, THESE TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS WERE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS. BY THIS TIME, SOME WHITES AND INDIANS HAD JOINED THESE COMMUNITIES. WITH THESE NEW ADDITIONS, IT CAUSED A CULTURAL FUSION, JOINING SEPARATE RITUALS, RELIGION, AND GAMES. ONE RESULT OF THIS RICH CULTURAL FUSION WAS CAPOEIRA IN IT'S EARLIEST FORM. PALMARES GREW VERY QUICKLY AS MORE REFUGEES ARRIVED, WHICH SCARED THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT. THE REFUGEES WOULD LEAVE THEIR HAVEN TO TRADE PRODUCE, FRUIT, AND ANIMAL SKINS. DURING THESE TRAVELS, SOME REFUGEES WOULD RAID PLANTATIONS AND FREE MORE SLAVES, WHICH ADDED TO THE COMMUNITIES' POPULATION. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, HOLLAND DECIDED TO INVADE BRAZIL IN 1630. THE FORMER SLAVES USED THIS TO THEIR ADVANTAGE, FORE NOW THE PORTUGUESE ARMY HAD TWO SEPARATE ENEMIES TO FIGHT. THE DUTCH WON THE WAR, BUT THE AFRICANS NEVER STOPPED FIGHTING. IN 1644, THE DUTCH DECIDED THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH AND AN EXPEDITION WAS SENT TO THE MOUNTAINS, CONSISTING OF WELL ARMED AND EXPERIENCED SOLDIERS, TO CRUSH THE REBELS. IRONICALLY, THE AFRICANS STOOD THEIR GROUND AND THE EXPEDITION FAILED. THE AFRICANS HAD USED ONE OF THE EARLIEST FORMS OF JUNGLE WAR FARE. THESE HIT AND RUN TACTICS, COMBINED WITH THE ELUSIVE FORM OF CAPOEIRA, IMPOSED A LARGE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE WHITE MEN. NOT ACCEPTING DEFEAT, ANOTHER EXPEDITION WAS SENT A FEW YEARS LATER, WHICH ALSO FAILED. SO NOW, CAPOEIRA WASN'T ONLY THEIR NEW WEAPON, IT WAS THEIR NEW SYMBOL OF FREEDOM. AS TIME WENT ON, SOME EXPEDITIONS BECAME SEMI-SUCCESSFUL. WHEN THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL, CAPTURED SLAVES WERE BROUGHT BACK AND REINTRODUCED TO THE WORK FORCE ON THE PLANTATIONS. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A CAPOEIRISTA TO TEACH THE REST OF THE SLAVES HOW TO FIGHT AND ESCAPE. ON SUNDAY, THEIR ONLY DAY OF REST, THESE RECAPTURED SLAVES WOULD TEACH CAPOEIRA TO THE OTHERS. PROBLEMS AROSE WITH THE TEACHING, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE QUARTERS THAT THE SLAVES STAYED IN WERE MONITORED FROM TIME TO TIME. WITH THIS NEW OBSTACLE, CAPOEIRA BEGAN TO DEVELOP EVEN FURTHER. MUSIC, SINGING, DANCING, AND RITUALS WERE ADDED TO CAPOEIRA TO HELP DISGUISE THE ART FORM. WHEN A SLAVE MASTER WOULD COME, THEY WOULD STOP THE TRAINING AND CONTINUE ON AS IF THEY WERE HAVING A FESTIVAL OR PARTY. WHEN THE MASTER LEFT, THEY CONTINUED PRACTICING THEIR DEADLY MARTIAL ART. IN THE SPAN OF 25 YEARS, THE PORTUGUESE COLONIES SUFFERED 11 REBELLIONS THAT CULMINATED WITH THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY ON MAY 13, 1888. AFTER THE ABOLITION, SOME EX-SLAVES WENT BACK TO AFRICA, BUT MOST STAYED IN BRAZIL. NO LONGER WANTING TO STAY NEAR THE PLANTATIONS, THEY WENT TO THE CITIES TO LOOK FOR WORK, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WASN'T ANY. SOME OF THE EX-SLAVES WERE HIRED AS BODYGUARDS FOR HIGH OFFICIALS, BECAUSE OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF CAPOEIRA. MOST BANDED TOGETHER IN CRIMINAL GANGS, WHICH USED CAPOEIRA TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED. THIS CREATED A BAD NAME FOR CAPOEIRA IN THE STREETS. WITH ALL THAT WAS GOING ON, THE PRESIDENT CREATED A SPECIAL POLICE FORCE TO DEAL WITH THE CAPOEIRA GANGS. AT FIRST, THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. SOON A LAW WAS PASSED THAT ANYONE PRACTICING CAPOEIRA WOULD BE EXILED. TO ENFORCE THIS LAW, BRAZIL'S MOST RUTHLESS POLICE CHIEF WAS HIRED. HIS NAME WAS SAMPAIO. SAMPAIO WAS VERY GOOD AT HIS JOB, BUT WHAT THE GANGS DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT HE WAS A VERY GOOD CAPOEIRISTA. SAMPAIO'S SPECIAL POLICE FORCE LEANED THE MOST DANGEROUS MOVES IN CAPOEIRA, SO THEY COULD FIGHT THEIR ENEMY ON COMMON GROUND. SAMPAIO WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIS GOAL OF ELIMINATING CAPOEIRA FOREVER, BUT WOULD ACCIDENTALLY UNDO ALL HIS PROGRESS BY ARRESTING A MAN NAMED JUCA. JUCA WAS CAUGHT PRACTICING CAPOEIRA, AND DOING SO, IT MADE HIM A CRIMINAL. JUCA'S FATHER WAS WELL KNOWN AND FAVORED BY MANY POLITICIANS. AFTER THE ARREST, THE PRESIDENT CALLED A SPECIAL MEETING WITH HIS CABINET AND AFTER 18 DAYS, TWO IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF THE CABINET RESIGNED AND JUCA WAS EXILED. AFTER THIS EVENT, EVERYONE EXPECTED THAT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE CAPOEIRISTAS WOULD CHANGE. THEY WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE, BUT IT WASN'T WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND. THE OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT CREATED A BLACK MILITIA, WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO DISRUPT THE PRESIDENT. THIS MILITIA SPREAD FEAR THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL. RIGHT WHEN THINGS LOOKED DARK FOR THE PRESIDENT, BRAZIL WENT TO WAR WITH PARAGUAY. THE BLACK MILITIA THAT CAUSED SO MANY PROBLEMS, WAS SENT TO THE FRONT LINES AND SUDDENLY THE OUTLAWS BECAME NATIONAL HEROES. WITH THIS, CAPOEIRA ENTERED ANOTHER PHASE IN IT'S DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORY. THE LAW THAT PROHIBITED THE PRACTICE OF CAPOEIRA LASTED UNTIL 1920. DURING THAT TIME, CAPOEIRA WAS DISGUISED AS A FOLK DANCE. CAPOEIRISTAS WOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO KEEP THEIR STYLE ALIVE. A MAN NAMED MANOEL DOS REIS MACHADO, NICKNAMED MESTRE BIMBA, WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS TALENT AND IN 1937, MESTRE BIMBA WAS INVITED BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE CAPITAL TO DEMONSTRATE HIS ART. AFTER HIS SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE, MESTRE BIMBA WENT BACK TO HIS HOME STATE AND WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE GOVERNMENT, OPENED THE FIRST CAPOEIRA SCHOOL IN BRAZIL. MANOEL DOS REIS MACHADO (MESTRE BIMBA) KEPT THE TRADITIONS ALIVE WITH HIS SCHOOL. MESTRE BIMBA DEVELOPED THE CAPOEIRA REGIONAL STYLE. ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT MAN NAMED VICENTE FERREIRA PASTINHA, MESTRE PASTINHA, WHO TAUGHT CAPOEIRA ANGOLA (TRADITIONAL CAPOEIRA) FOR DECADES IN BAHIA, EVEN AFTER BECOMING BLIND IN HIS 70'S. PEOPLE LIKE THESE NAMED ABOVE PAVED THE WAY FOR CAPOEIRA NOT ONLY BE ACCEPTED, BUT AROUND 1939, A BILL HAD BEEN PASSED BY THE SENATE TO MAKE CAPOEIRA BRAZIL'S NATIONAL SPORT. TODAY CAPOEIRA CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN BRAZIL, IT CAN BE FOUND IN MILITARY ACADEMIES, UNIVERSITIES, AND EVEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. AS CAPOEIRA GREW AND MORE SCHOOLS WERE STARTED, RULES AND REGULATIONS WERE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO BRING SOME TYPE OF STANDARD TO THE ART. ALTHOUGH MOST MESTRES VARY ON HOW THEY TEACH, THEY USUALLY HAVE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS TO ADVANCE TO HIGHER LEVELS. AS TIME PASSED, A LOT OF THE "WRINKLES" HAVE BEEN IRONED OUT AND RANKS WERE SIGNIFIED BY CHORDS. THE STUDENT'S ABILITY IS RECOGNIZED BY THE COLOR OF THE CHORD THEY WEAR. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOOD TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR TECHNIQUE, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE RODA, YOUR POWER LIES IN YOUR ABILITY TO HIDE YOUR SKILL. IF YOU WEAR NO CHORD IN A JOGO, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOU. THIS HIDING AND SECRECY IS WHAT MAKES CAPOEIRA SO DANGEROUS. CAPOEIRA HAS CHANGED MUCH OVER THE YEARS AND I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, IN ORDER TO ADAPT TO THE TIMES. THE VERY IDEA OF A CAPOEIRISTA BEING A CHAMELEON IS WHY THIS ART IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HAS LASTED THIS LONG. THIS EXOTIC AND ELUSIVE ART WILL SURVIVE BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST. THE MORE I LEARN ABOUT CAPOEIRA, THE MORE I APPRECIATE THE TRADITIONS, RITUALS, AND STRUGGLES IT HAD TO GO THROUGH TO SURVIVE. I DEDICATE THIS SITE TO SPREAD THE KNOWLEDGE OF CAPOEIRA, IN HOPES TO NOT ONLY TEACH OTHERS OF IT'S POWER, BUT TO ALSO TEACH MYSELF.