Capoeira: The Brazilian Martial Art of Dancing

Freddie Gay

Fighting or dancing？

Brazil is probably most famous for samba and football， but there is another hobby that is very popular among Brazilians. It is called capoeira and， like karate or judo， it is considered a martial art. However， there is no contact in capoeira. In fact it is more like a dance.

The dance

Participants make a circle， sing songs and play different musical instruments. Two people then start the dance while the others continue to sing and play the musical instruments. Anyone can jump into the circle to dance at any time， exchanging places with someone already there， but there are never more than two people who perform the dance at one time. During the dance， participants move in time to the music. If the rhythm of the music gets faster， so will the dancing.

Intense training

Like other martial arts， capoeira involves a lot of intense training. If you take classes， you will spend a lot of time stretching， doing fitness and strengthening exercises and learning the basic steps. At more advanced levels， you will begin to learn acrobatic movements. You should also learn some of the songs they sing， and perhaps even how to play one of the musical instruments that they use.

Uncertain origins

Capoeira has a fascinating history. During the 1700s Portugal colonised large parts of Brazil and brought many slaves from Africa. When these slaves arrived in Brazil， they were treated very badly. Some people say that these slaves started the capoeira dance to protest against the bad conditions. Others believe that capoeira had already started in Africa and the slaves brought the dance with them.

Around the world

Wherever capoeira began， it has now become popular around the world. You can take capoeira classes in many countries. It is a great way to get fit and meet new people. So if you like the sound of it， time to get off the sofa and find your nearest class！

Activity 1

Before you read， match the word to a definition.

1 acrobatic 2 colonise 3 intense 4 participants

5 protest 6 rhythm 7 strengthen 8 stretch

a. do something to show that you disagree with a law or rule

b. extend your muscles to prepare them for exercise

c. involving lots of hard work

d. involving or having lots of difficult jumping movements

e. make your body stronger

f. take control of another country

g. the beat and speed of a song or piece of music

h. the people who take part in an event or activity

Activity 2

Now complete the sentences using words from the text. Make any changes to the words that are necessary.

1. Many African countries were （______） by European countries during the 16th and 17th centuries.

2. My favourite music is salsa. I just love dancing to its （______）.

3. I had a really （______） training session in the gym yesterday. My muscles are really aching！

4. Ive been going to the gym for six months now and I feel I have really （______） my muscles.

5. We had some more new （______） in our aerobics class this week. There are quite a few of us now.

6. If you want to be a gymnast， you have to be very （______）.

7. Many people are angry about the governments decision and plan to （______） against it.

8. （______） before doing exercise is a good idea as it can prevent you from getting injured.

Activity 3

First， put the words of each sentence in the correct order. Then decide if they are true or false， according to the text. Can you correct the false ones？

1. a dance. / but really / Capoeira / fighting， / it is / look like / may

2. and play / dance， / musical instruments. / sing / the other / participants / two people / While

3. acrobatic / be / capoeira. / in order to / need / take part in / to / very / You

4. actually / Africa. / Although / Brazil， / capoeira / in / in / is / it / popular / started

5. around / can / capoeira / classes / countries / find / in / many / the / world. / You

Activity 4

Complete the sentences with the correct connecting word from the table and add any missing punctuation.

During However in fact then while

Example：

Like karate or judo， capoeira is considered a martial art （. However，） there is no contact in capoeira.

1. I dont agree that he was a good prime minister （______） I think he was awful.

2. Many people like to swim in the sea at this beach （______） there can be strong currents so do be careful！

3. His house was broken into （______） he was on holiday.

4. She stayed in London for a week and （______） decided to get a train to Scotland.

5. （______） the 1990s there was a huge rise in the number of internet users.

Activity 5

Are there any interesting hobbies or activities which are popular in your country？ What are they and why do you think they are popular？