CAPOEIRA

Capoeira is a mixture of dance, sports and martial art which is much practiced in Brazil, especially the northeast.
When slaves were brought from Africa, they were kept under severe vigilance. The masters wanted to keep their slaves as unorganized as possible, to prevent rebelions; of course, every kind of fight training was forbidden.
The slaves found a clever way to get round their opressors: they played the capoeira.
A human circle is made, some basic music is played with berimbau and by clapping hands, and two by two, the players go inside the circle and move their bodies as if trying to avoid each other contact; after a few minutes, usually without any body contact, two new players come into the arena and start all over.
It looks like a dance, but capoeira has several mortal hits. Like judo and karate, the masters of capoeira go through years of physical and mental training.
There are several capoeira groups in Natal, and its popularity is growing each day. Look for them in the beach or in tourist spots; zas-tras offers capoeira shows in some days (check out the Night Life section).

To learn more about capoeira, visit this website in English: http://www.capoeirista.com





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