Well, I wanted to take Kung Fu, but I must say this has been a nice substitute in helping me remember and refine some moves I learned back a couple of years ago. Capoeria was a brought along by the African slaves to Brazil, from Angola, and developed in the slave areas of Bahia. To hide it they would diguise they're movements dance or showmanship, but in the bigger cities, were crime was rampant, the art was used against the law. Thusly it was outlawed. However, it still went on in secret. For example, if some people were going at it in a game in the street, and the police would come, the beats of the berimbauwould change to those of the taps of the horse. Signaled everyone would go back to whatever they were doing.

It wasn't until the 1900's that Capoeria was brought into mainstream Brazilian society with the openning of the fist public hall By Mestre Bimba, THE legend in capoeria history.

There are misconceptions about what types of movements and attacks you'll see in capoeria. Budokan said that he'd beat one of the capoeristras after they tire themselves out with all that flipping. There are acrobatic moves, some that even went into break dancing, however that's more for the show and demonstration. I remember one poster on these boards called capoeira a mix between "snake and monkey" styles. Capoeristras may dodge an attack, or make someone think that their defensless in a turn or flip, but come in with a kick out of nowhere. Evasion is a key factor in capoeira. FInally, there isn't one set style of capoeria. There is [i]capoeria regional[i/] which is the more acrobatic, fast-paced, spectacular kicks and flips art you see most often, and [i]capoeria angola[i/] the original style brought over by the African slaves. Its more reliant on the evasions, definitely slower, and sticks mostly to the ground. WHEW! that was exhaustive. :)

"Watch the skies, the DRAGON flies!"