Roots
The art of Capoeira began its development over 500 years ago during the South American slave trade in Brasil. The fusion of African and indigenous cultures during the colonial period produced the perfect climate for the development this unique and complex art form. Africans, stripped of their freedom and tribal identity, meshed the music, culture, and traditions of their diverse tribes, creating a new and distinctive Afro-Brazilian identity. Capoeira was a fundamental element of their lives in the New World.
For hundreds of years Capoeira was outlawed, considered an unsavory and vulgar practice by the oppressive ruling elite. Practitioners of the art were marginalized and if caught, imprisoned. Despite the criminalization of the art, Capoeiristas continued to meet and train in secret.
In the 1930s a forward looking Capoeirista and champion pugilist name Manoel dos Reis Machado better known as MESTRE BIMBA, initiated a pivotal new era in the art of Capoeira. He developed a more objective style, precise training sequences, and innovative techniques; a new genre of Capoeira was being born. Mestre Bimba took primitive Capoeira, today commonly referred to as Capoeira Angola, elements of an African leg-strike dance called Batuque, and concepts from various martial arts and created what is now known as Capoeira Regional. Because of his tireless work, Capoeira was removed from the penal code in 1937.
Through the work of Mestre Bimba, his Capoeira disciples and other influential mestres and Capoeira groups, the art has spread and evolved into an international sport and cultural phenomenon. Today Capoeira is popular with millions of kids, teenagers, and adults across six continents.
The founding mestres of Capoeira Brasil, M. Boneco, M. Paulinho Sabia, and M. Paulão, come from a strong lineage and powerful tradition of teachers leading back to Mestre Bimba. All three were long time members of one of the oldest and most revered Capoeira groups, Senzala, and trained under the innovative Mestre Camisa.
