Capoiera,
dance as fight

No one said that excercise had to be borning. Exercise should be fun and challenging. I think workout is chance to use your full capacity, for as long as should, but not in the gym.

Capoiera is the Brazilian art of dance fighting. This art is both a dance and a fight. It is a combination of gymnastics, dance, martial art as well as music, sing and knowledge. O f course it includes a history and a culture, too. A lot of people visualize it as a combination of dance, kick-boxing and karate or as break-dancing. One of the most fundamental movements of Capoiera is the ginga. „The ginga is essentially a movement of rocking back and forth and essentially sizing up your opponent. In this position, you rock back and forth from one foot to the other, with your feet squared beneath your shoulders. Generally, individuals maintain a crouched position using their feet as axes to move forward and backward and from side to side. Capoeira is very similar to break-dancing in this way“.
500 years ago, this form of art was originally developed by African slaves from all over Africa, including Sudan, Angola and Mozambique, in Brazil. They began combining African dance, with fighting techniques. Capoiera was way of self protection and defense for African. On the other hand it was said to be a demonstration against the homogenization of African culture, a comination of cultural practices from different regions. In the late 1800s, capoiera was made illegal. Later, in 1937, Mestre Bimba, a Capoiera master in Brazil, perform his regional style of capoiera to the prezident of Brazil. Theraafter Bimba opened his own Capoiera school in Brazil, the first of many.
At the present we can know three of the most popular styles of Capoiera. They are Capoiera Angola, Regional Capoiera and Comtemporary Capoiera. The last is form which reflect regional and cultural influences. Second kind of capoiera includes more kickboxing and acrobatics than other kinds of capoiera. There are levels of mastery which are differed in various color belts. For Capoiera Angola are typical slow and culculated movenemts, closer the to floor. The movements and dance are associated more with the fluidity. This style is faster and involves more aerobic workouts.

Capoeiristas learn to balance the physical with the mental as well as play many instruments and sing. In many ways, it may be viewed as a charade, full of secrets and deception. In my opinion capoiera is amazing because it is not only martial fight, dance, sport, game but mainly breath-taking artistic expression of freedom.

arizonka