Capitães de Areia
Grupo folclórico de Capoeira
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A traditional carnival group strongly linked to Candomblé
An afoxé is a group which utilizes religious percussion and dancing in secular settings, the religion in this case being West African Candomblé.
Agogôs, or agogô bells originate from Brazil and are generally a two chambered steel instrument (a double-gong bell). Agogôs are hand percussion and beaten like a cow bell, and are frequently heard in samba and salsa music.
Student of a capoeira master
Capoeira Angola is the traditional style of Bahian Capoeira.
Capoeira Angola is the older substyle of capoeira, and the style that is more focused on staying close to the original, historical version of capoeira. It features a slower moving pace, stays very close to the ground and is very technical and detailed. Practitioners are often very close to each other.
A drum with an indeterminate pitch introduced to Brazil by African slaves. These drums compose the rhythmical orchestra in Candomblé meetings.
They are top quality large, heavy wooden drums, used in Brazil in religious ceremonies for Candomblé, Umbanda and Macumba as well as in capoeira, Samba de Roda and Maculelê.
Attacking move or movement initiative
Axé is a ritual greeting used in Candomblé and Umbanda, and means “good vibration”. Today it is used in every day life to wish someone good luck for everything that comes ahead.
Axé music is a style of popular music which originated in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The word comes from a ritual greeting that means “good vibration” and is used in the Candomblé and Umbanda religions.
Babalorixá or “father of saint” is the leading male priest of Candomblé.
The capoeira orchestra composed of the berimbau, atabaque, pandeiro, agogô and reco-reco.
The batizado, or baptism, is a traditional capoeira ceremony in which new students are initiated into the world of capoeira. They are given their cord belts and their Capoeira name.
The berimbau consists of a wooden stick which is strung with a steel string (arame) to form the bow shape, a calabash gourd with an opening on one side which acts as a resonator, a coin or stone, a thin bamboo stick (vaqueta), and a basket shaker (caxixi).
Concaved gourd that exists in three different sizes. It serves as sound box when playing the Berimbau.
Candomblé is an African religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. The religion came from Africa to Brazil, carried by African priests and adherents who were brought as slaves between 1549 and 1850.
“Candomblé” incorporates, fuses and sums up the various religions of the black Africans and what is left from the religion of Brazilian Indians with many aspects of the popular catholicism and spiritism. There is always a small altar with images and Catholic references on top of it in each party room, but the beings who come to the “terreiro” are legitimate African gods: the god of iron named “Ogun”, the divinity of hunting “Oxossi”, the god of the storms “Xangô”. They are personifications of the country’s native Indian tribes, such as “Tupinambá”; they are fantastic figures who sometimes transform the trees into divinities, like “Lôko” and “Juremeiro”, and sometimes they idealize a profession, such as does the “Boiadeiro”; they are common ancestors who distinguish themselves in favour of the gods, as is the case with “Egumx”… That is how the communion takes place between human beings, gods and ancestors. This is not a vague spiritual fellowship, symbolic and remote, like in Roman catholicism, neither is it a simple passing and accidental connection with the dead, as is in spiritualism. These two worlds are combined in candomblé. The divinities as well as those human beings who have already died mingle with the ones alive, listen to their complaints, give advice, give blessings, resolve their disagreements and give remedies for their pains and consolation for their misfortunes. The celestial world is not far away, nor is it superior, also the believer may speak directly with the gods and take advantage of their benevolence.
This is the reason for candomblé’s extraordinary vigor, having successfully resisted police terror and rumor mongers of the daily press.
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian dance martial art developed initially by African slaves in Africa, moving to Brazil, starting in the colonial period.
Capoeira player
Cavalaria or “cavalry”, a berimbau rhythm formerly used to warn of a police raid at a time when capoeira was still forbidden. The toque imitates the gallop of horses. This song was used by Mestre Bimba to alert the players that the police was coming. Now it is used for a much faster game, without leaving your hands much on the ground. Other toques include Idalina, Amazonas, Santa Maria, Banguela, all deriving from the basic capoeira pattern. Capoeiristas also play samba, after capoeira, as samba de roda with the proper toques, deriving from the samba rhythmic pattern.
Small rattle that optionally accompanies the vaqueta in the same hand.
The caxixi is the rattle played with the berimbau.
Last position in the capoeira hierarchy before becoming a master.
At the batizado, capoeiristas are given a corda (cord belt).
A defensive move or movement response.
Capoeira student
The spirits of the dead people, the spirit of the ancestors.
The basic defense move of capoeira. The legs are wide and bent with the weight equally distributed as the torso bends in the direction of the kick with the elbows protecting the face. The three esquivas are: side, front, and back. Side is executed in a wide parallel position. Front is in guarda baixa. Back swivels from ginga position to a parallel position perpendicular to the opponent.
A favela is a Brazilian shantytown or slum. Although the most “famous” ones are located in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, there are favelas in almost every Brazilian big town.
A hook punch that is initiated from the pelvis and torso. Hand strikes with a monkey paw.
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The basic swinging side to side step from which all other capoeira movement develops. The basic ginga stance has the front leg bent at 90 degrees with a slight outward rotation. The back leg is in parallel at hip width and lengthened back with the knee bent at 45 degrees and the ball of the foot placed on the floor. The pelvis is pulled to the floor with the weight equally balanced between both feet. The spine is vertical. The arms are contracted in an exaggerated oppositional swing (right leg forward-left arm crosses the face) with the crossing arm’s elbow defending the face and upper body. Hands are contracted in monkey’s paws-halfway between a tight fist and a loose hand. To switch sides the back leg is brought to a bent parallel at least as wide as the shoulders and the former front leg steps to the back. The legs are always bent and weight bearing; never locking the knee in a straight position. The arms are swung in opposition, keeping the face protected by the elbows.
The Gunga is the type of berimbau with the largest cabaça, playing the lowest tone.
The Masters’ toque. Iúna is played only when Masters and capoeira teachers are playing together. The participants of the Roda do not clap their hands to the beat.
A back handspring from squat position. From squat, hand closest to opponent is placed on the floor directly under the shoulder with fingers pointed back. Other arm is thrown back in an overhead arc to reach for the floor as the hips are thrust up and back with the feet pushing to jump off the floor.
Maculelê is a dance from Brazil where a number of people gather in a circle called a roda with one or more atabaques positioned at the entrance of the circle. Each person brandishes a pair of long sticks, traditionally made from biriba wood from Brazil. The sticks, called grimas, traditionally measure 24 inches long by 1 and 1/8 inch thick. As the Maculelê rhythm plays on the atabaque, the people in the circle begin rhythmically striking the sticks together. The leader sings, and the people in the circle respond by singing the chorus of the songs. When the leader gives the signal to begin playing Maculelê, two people enter the circle, and to the rhythm of the atabaque, they begin striking their own and each other’s sticks together. On the first three beats, they strike their own sticks together, making expressive and athletic dance movements, and on each fourth beat, they strike each other’s respective right-hand stick together. This makes for a dance that looks like “mock stick combat”. (Also, traditionally in Maculelê, the players wear dried grass skirts).
Macumba is a word of African (Bantu) origins. Various explanations of its meaning include “a musical instrument”, the name of a Central African deity, and simply “magic”. It was the name used for all Bantu religious practices mainly in Rio de Janeiro Afro-Brazilian in the 19th Century. Later (20th century) these practices re-aligned themselves into what are now called Umbanda, Quimbanda and Omoloko. “Macumba” became common in many parts of Brazil, used by the non-practicing population as a pejorative word meaning “black witchcraft”.
The word “macumba” is frequently used in Brazil to refer to any ritual or religion of African origin (as slang), and although its use by non-practitioners remains largely pejorative in intent (referring to all sorts of religious (or otherwise) superstitions and luck-related rituals and beliefs), and is considered offensive, its use among actual practitioners is not viewed negatively.
The medio is a berimbau with a medium cabaça, playing the medium tone.
Meia lua means “half moon”. It is a spinning kick with one hand on the ground.
The capoeira Master, the highest position in the capoeira hierarchy.
Mestre Bimba is founder of Capoeira Regional. Mestre Bimba’s form of Capoeira received it’s name from his own academy, ‘The Regional Physical and Cultural Centre’, Capoeira Regional for short. In 1932, Mestre Bimba opened his first Capoeira Regional Academy, at a time, when capoeira was still illegal. Official recognition was given to Bimba’s academy in July of 1937. From this point on the practise was restricted to registered clubs, gyms and academies but only with a special police license.
Mestre Pastinha was a very influential capoeira Mestre. In 1942, he founded the first Angola school, the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola, located at the Pelourinho in Salvador da Bahia.
Orixá is a spirit that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumaré (God) in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system. It is a god who lives with mortals on the earth.
Oxalá is the most respected Orixá, father of most other Orixás. For many Brasilians Oxalá is synonymous with Jesus Christ in the syncretic spirit.
The pandeiro is a type of hand frame drum. A pandeiro can also be shaken to make sound, or one can run a finger along the head to create a “rasp” noise. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, and capoeira music.
A straight snap kick from the hip. Back leg knee is brought into the chest with a contraction of the stomach. Hips are thrust forward with torso counterbalancing back as leg snaps at target like a whip. The foot is extended with flexed toes so the ball of the foot strikes target. Kicking leg is brought back knee to the chest and then placed in Ginga back position. Arms work in opposition throughout kick.
A quica is a traditional Brazilian instrument. It is a small metal drum with a thin wood dowel attached to the inner side of the head. With a wet cloth, the wood dowel is rubbed to create a moaning sound. The pitch can be altered by pressing on the head to different degrees. It is used as a carnival instrument.
A quilombo was a refuge of runaway slaves. The most important quilombo of all times was the Quilombo dos Palmares.
Quilombo dos Palmares was a self-sustaining republic of Maroons escaped from the Portuguese settlements in Brazil, a region perhaps the size of Portugal in the hinterland of Bahia. At its height, Palmares had a population of over 30,000.
Forced to defend against repeated attacks by Portuguese colonial power, the warriors of Palmares were experts in capoeira.
Rabo de arraia means “stingray’s tail”. It is a spinning kick with both hands on the ground.
A low forward sweep/takedown. In rasteira the player sweeps to place his foot behind his opponent’s and pulls it away.
The reco-reco is a scraper which produces sound by drawing a stick across corregated grooves of a bamboo tube, or – as is more common in urban samba schools – across one or more metal springs. In some regions of Brazil the reco-reco is known as ‘reso-reso’, ‘raspador’ or ‘casaca’, and it is used in a variety of African-Brazilian traditions in both rural and urban contexts.
Capoeira Regional is the style that was created by Mestre Bimba. It is faster and more aggressive than Capoeira Angola. It maintains the technical, detailed aspect of Angola, but speeds it up and gives it a more competitive aspect. Regional is typically practiced with opponents further away from each other. It is known for its fluid acrobatic play, where technique and strategy are the key points. Mestre Bimba saw the more acrobatic movements in the region where he lived and integrated them into his style (therefore the name).
Roda means “wheel” or, more appropriately in this case, “circle” in Portuguese. It is the name given in several Afro-Brazilian art forms, such as capoeira, Maculelê and Samba de Roda, to the circular formation within which participants perform the art form. In capoeira, the participants of the roda clap their hands to the beat, while two capoeiristas are playing in the middle.
Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. It is especially associated with the attempt to merge and analogize several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity.
A small and loud stick-beaten frame drum.
A traditional candomblé house of worship.
Toques are different styles of rythms played by capoeiristas. Each player should adapt his game based on a particular toque. Here are a few toques de berimbau:
This toque is used during the Angola game, a slow performance where the players are demonstrating balance and corporal expression
A very slow capoeira toque, played in capoeira Angola.
A slow toque for smooth moves.
This is a slightly faster game played with ample movements. Sweeping legs are common in this game
Cavalaria or “cavalry”, a berimbau rhythm formerly used to warn of a police raid at a time when Capoeira was still forbidden. The toque imitates the gallop of horses. This song was used by Mestre Bimba to alert the players that the police was coming. Now it is used for a much faster game, without leaving your hands much on the ground. Other toques include Idalina, Amazonas, Santa Maria, Banguela, all deriving from the basic capoeira pattern. Capoeiristas also play samba, after capoeira, as samba de roda with the proper toques, deriving from the samba rhythmic pattern.
a) The Trio Elétrico is an invention of Bahian carnival. It is a big truck equipped round about with high volume loudspeakers and a band (banda) playing on its top.
b) Bloco de Trio: carnival group dancing through the street behind the Trio Elétrico.
c) Banda de Trio: music band playing on the Trio Elétrico.
Umbanda is a religion that blends Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritualism, and Afro-Brazilian religions . It originated in Brazil in the early 20th century among the Afro-Brazilian population of Rio de Janeiro but has now spread across Brazil and to Uruguay and Argentina. The term “Umbanda” derives from Kimbundu, an Angolan language, and means “religious practitioners”.
Umbanda is a syncretic religion based on the worship of Angolan spirits, brought to Brazil by the African slaves during the colonial period, and on elements drawn from Brazilian popular culture. Additionally, Orixás, from the Yoruba pantheon, are given token rule over the various legions of spirits and are associated with a Catholic saint under whose guidance the spirits work. This association started during the time when the african slaves in Brazil were persecuted by their owners for practicing their religion. The solution they found was to hide the original worshipping objects that represented the spiritual entities under different Catholic saint statues in order to give the slave owners the impression that they were worshipping that saint, which had the same personality or qualities of the worshipped entity.
The type of berimbau with the smallest cabaça, it produces the highest tone in capoeira.
a) The Yorubá people live in Southwest Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery, weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and mask making. Most artwork is made to honor the gods and ancestors and since there are more then 401 known gods to the Yorubá there is much sculpture and artwork made. Because of the vastness in the number of gods, the Yorubá have been compared to the ancient Greeks in the amount of gods and in the similarities between the structures of the gods.
The Yorubá have started to become quite popular among Africans all over the world who claim the Yorubá as their family roots and follow the religion and culture of the Yorubá. Many claim that they are part of the Diaspora of the Yorubá as slaves.
b) The language of the Yorubá people.
Zumbà(1655 – 20 November 1695) was the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil. A quilombo was a refuge of runaway slaves.
Capitães de Areia e.V. | Wilhelmshavener Str. 32 | 10551 Berlin
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