Editing Capoeira (section)

== Styles ==

{{blockquote|It is a task, and a lonely one, to find and develop your own style, breaking with the “correct” way of playing that you learned from your teacher, who many times presents himself as “owner of the truth.” But this can be done after one has experience and an idea of what capoeira is … maybe after ten or fifteen years of practice.{{sfn|Capoeira|2002|p=226}}|[[Nestor Capoeira]]}}

Determining styles in capoeira is difficult, since there was never a unity in the original capoeira, or a teaching method before the decade of 1920. However, a division between two styles and a sub-style is widely accepted.<ref name=":0" />

=== Capoeira Angola ===
{{main|Capoeira Angola}}
[[File:Roda de Capoeira Angola.jpg|thumb|Capoeira Angola roda.]]

[[Capoeira de Angola]] ([[Angola]]n capoeira) is the traditional style of capoeira. However, it can refer to two things:
* the popular [[Bahia]]n capoeira prior to codification in 20th century
* the contemporary style of capoeira codified by [[Mestre Pastinha]], based on an older one

The ideal of capoeira Angola is to maintain capoeira as close to its roots as possible.<ref name=":0"/> Although Pastinha strove to preserve the original Angolan art, he nevertheless introduced significant changes to capoeira practice of his time. He forbid weapon and violent moves, prescribed uniforms, moved training away from the street into the ''academia'', and started to teach [[Woman|women]].{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=164}}

Capoeira Angola is characterized by being strategic, with sneaking movements executed standing or near the floor depending on the situation to face, it values the traditions of ''malícia'', ''malandragem'' and unpredictability of the original capoeira.<ref name=":0" /> The anthropologist Alejandro Frigerio defines capoeira Angola as [[art]], versus [[capoeira Regional]] as [[sport]]. He emphasizes the following characteristics of contemporary capoeira Angola, namely: cunning, complementation (of the two players" movements), a low game, the absence of violence, beautiful movements (according to a "black aesthetic"), slow music and the importance of ritual and theatricality.{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=198}}

Unlike many other capoeira groups that play [[barefoot]], ''angoleiros'' always train with [[shoe]]s. When it comes to the color of the uniforms, there is a lack of uniformity within the style. Although mestre Pastinha at his academy required students to wear yellow and black jerseys, some of his successors have adopted white only uniforms within their schools.{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=201}}

=== Capoeira Regional ===
{{main|Capoeira Regional}}
Capoeira Regional began to take form in the 1920s, when [[Mestre Bimba]] met his future student, José Cisnando Lima. Both believed that capoeira was losing its martial side and concluded there was a need to re-strengthen and structure it. Bimba created his ''sequências de ensino'' (teaching combinations) and created capoeira's first teaching method. Advised by Cisnando, Bimba decided to call his style ''Luta Regional Baiana'', as capoeira was still illegal at that time.{{sfn|Taylor|2007|pp=233–235}}<ref>Matthias Röhrig Assunção, ''Capoeira: A History of a Brazilian Martial Art'' (London: Psychology/Routledge, 2005), 133–35. {{ISBN|0714650315}}, 9780714650319; Aniefre Essien, ''Capoeira Beyond Brazil: From a Slave Tradition to an International Way of Life'' (Berkeley CA: Blue Snake Books, 2008), 6–8. {{ISBN|1583942556}}, 9781583942550</ref>

The base of capoeira regional is the original capoeira without many of the aspects that were impractical in a real fight, with less subterfuge and more objectivity. Training focuses mainly on attack, dodging and counter-attack, giving high importance to precision and discipline. Bimba also added a few moves from other arts, notably the ''batuque'', an old street fight game invented by his father.<ref>[http://capoeira-connection.com/capoeira/2012/01/i-challenged-all-the-tough-guys-mestre-bimba-1973/ "I challenged all the tough guys" – Mestre Bimba, 1973] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192413/http://capoeira-connection.com/capoeira/2012/01/i-challenged-all-the-tough-guys-mestre-bimba-1973/ |date=3 March 2016 }} ''capoeira-connection.com''</ref> Use of jumps or aerial acrobatics stay to a minimum, since one of its foundations is always keeping at least one hand or foot firmly attached to the ground.

''Capoeira Regional'' also introduced the first ranking method in capoeira. ''Regional'' had three levels: ''calouro'' (freshman), ''formado'' (graduated) and ''formado especializado'' (specialist). After 1964, when a student completed a course, a special celebration ceremony occurred, ending with the teacher tying a silk scarf around the capoeirista's neck.{{sfn|Taylor|2007|p=234}}

The traditions of ''roda'' and capoeira game were kept, being used to put into use what was learned during training. The disposition of musical instruments, however, was changed, being made by a single berimbau and two pandeiros.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

The ''Luta Regional Baiana'' soon became popular, finally changing capoeira's bad image. Mestre Bimba made many presentations of his new style, but the best known was the one made at 1953 to Brazilian president [[Getúlio Vargas]], where the president would say: "''A Capoeira é o único esporte verdadeiramente nacional''" (Capoeira is the only truly national sport).<ref>{{Citation |last=Campos |first=Hellio |chapter=Capoeira Regional |date=2009 |pages=62–69 |title=Capoeira Regional: A escola de Mestre Bimba |publisher=EDUFBA |isbn=9788523217273 |doi=10.7476/9788523217273.0007 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Capoeira carioca ===
{{main|Capoeira carioca}}

[[Capoeira carioca]] was a [[street fighting]] version of capoeira that existed in [[Rio de Janeiro]] during the 19th century, used by gangs. In capoeira carioca, all available means were used, including various types of weapons, such as [[Knife|knives]], [[straight razor]]s, [[Club (weapon)|club]]s and [[machete]]s. Capoeira from this period is also known as ''capoeiragem''. The widespread violent capoeira practice in Rio led to a nationwide ban on capoeira. After the ban in [[1890]] and the subsequent mass arrests of capoeira gang members, this version of capoeira is generally extinct.{{sfn|Talmon-Chvaicer|2008|p=87}}

The main reformators and proponents of this fighting-oriented capoeira were [[Agenor Moreira Sampaio|Mestre Sinhozinho]] and [[Anibal Burlamaqui|Mestre Zuma]].

=== Capoeira Contemporânea ===
[[File:Vídeo Agência Nacional 40.webm|thumb|The 1975 Capoeira Cup]]

Capoeira flourished in the city of São Paulo since the 1960s. [[Mestre Suassuna]] was prominent figure throughout this period.{{sfn|Capoeira|2002|p=227}} [[Mestre Canjiquinha]] played important role in shaping the capoeira style that began to emerge in [[São Paulo]] during the 1960s. This evolving style, which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, drew from both Regional and Angola styles while maintaining its distinct characteristics.{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=194}} The majority of modern practitioners affirm to be neither Angola nor Regional, emphasizing that "there is only one capoeira".{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=199}}

This new capoeira incorporated not only [[berimbau]]s and [[pandeiro]]s but also [[atabaque]] and [[agogô]] into its musical ensemble. In contrast to Bimba's preference for quadras, these modern ''rodas'' typically commenced with [[ladainha]]s.{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=194}} The games in these ''rodas'' often featured a fast and upright style, even though they might start with an Angola toque and a slower game.{{sfn|Assunção|2002|p=194}}

Nowadays the label ''Contemporânea'' applies to any capoeira group who don't follow Regional or Angola styles, even the ones who mix capoeira with other martial arts. Some notable groups whose style cannot be described as either Angola or Regional but rather "a style of their own", include Senzala de Santos, Cordão de Ouro and Abada. In the case of Cordão de Ouro, the style may be described as "Miudinho", a low and fast-paced game, while in Senzala de Santos the style may described simply as "Senzala de Santos", an elegant, playful combination of Angola and Regional.