Quote Originally Posted by jow yeroc View Post
I would agree that there is some connection. However as a former breaker
in my younger days(early 80's NY) i would have to implore you guys to look
a lil furhter back than black belt theatre. Chinese are not the only culture
with fighting arts. Africans have had fighting arts for millenia as well.
Capoeria and breaking, while not quite the same stem from an African root
without a doubt. Capoeria--fighting disguised as dance to fool slave owners
in Brazil. Don't think there was any black belt theatre back then.
I think a lot of what you are talking about is lost to antiquity in regards to african martial arts with a hodge podge of revivalists sprouting up and co-opting mostly chinese martial arts or karate , slightly modifying it and calling it an african martial art. I mean youtube has a few of these guys who do this.

capoiera having been adjusted into a "dance" is no longer what one could consider anything more than a recreational dance pastime. I wouldn't put it in the category of useful or effective martial art, but I would change my mind if someone could demonstrate capoiera in a venue like a vale tudo match or something.

But seriously, breaking is born out of dance and has tiny insignificant almost not important to the whole "kungfu" in it. It is not dependent on cma moves or any of that. There are freaky dance moves that predate any breaking anyway. Jitterbug, jive, charlston, lindy hop as mentioned. these are all high energy dances requiring skill agilitya nd dexterity that you don't need for regular dance but that you would need for something like breaking.