capoeira

Afro-brazilian martial art of unclear origin. Many believe that it was an adapted fighting style, hidden behind the guise of dance to fool captors due to the learning of self defense amongst slaves was forbidden (since they did not want the slaves to present a threat to them, or to injure themselves and thus become uneconomical); or merely the adaption of the 'Lions Dance' - a ritual performed in certain parts of africa during the rite of ascention when a boy became a man (to atract females through prowess and physical ability) and still others believe other things. There is numerous evidence for and against each theory presented. What we do however know is that Capoeira is a graceful art, half fighting and half dancing, closely linked to the learning and performance of not only the lethal attacks, the mind-defying 'style moves' and the playing of instruments: such as the berimbau (long, wooden, single-stringed instrument with a gourd near the bottom played by striking the string).