Capoeira is a brazilian art that combines dance, martial art, music, and ritual — born from the resistance of enslaved africans.
Capoeira originated among enslaved Africans in colonial Brazil from the 16th century onward, blending West and Central African martial and dance traditions in the conditions of the slave quarters and quilombos (escaped-slave communities). Banned by Brazilian law from 1890 to 1937, capoeira survived by disguising its combat applications within music and dance. The 'roda' — a circle of musicians and players — frames each game; participants enter the centre two at a time, exchanging fluid kicks, sweeps, and acrobatic dodges to the rhythm of the berimbau (a single-string musical bow) and other percussion. Two main styles emerged in the 20th century: the slower, ritual-focused Capoeira Angola of Mestre Pastinha, and the faster, more athletic Capoeira Regional of Mestre Bimba, who in 1932 opened the first formal capoeira academy in Salvador, Bahia. UNESCO inscribed capoeira on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014, recognising it as one of Brazil's most powerful cultural inventions.