Happy New Year 2015 from Axé Capoeira Maryland crews!
Here at Axé Maryland, we ended the year with a bang: our first workshop with Professor Bambu at our new location (Jing Ying Academy). Lots of folk ask me what Capoeira is, and I thought I'd posted an official video that was created by the Brazilian government as part of their application to UNESCO to make Capoeira as a cultural heritage of mankind (see below).
Capoeira promotes diversity and tackling racism as well as other forms of prejudice
Capoeira is an Afro - Brazilian martial arts with many facets: self defense, music, history, dance, people, acrobatics (to name a few). It embodies the struggle of a people enslaved disguised as a dance. It is understood as a folklore, a sport and an art. The Roda of Capoeira is where the game happens. In november of 2014, the Roda of Capoeira was declared an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
In Capoeira, two dimensions are always present: The side of celebration, the fun, and the other side of understanding the slaves'resistance, and their reaction against the oppressive system that enslaved them. Even though Capoeira is uniquely Brazilian, there is no doubt that its origin came from Africa, brought to Brazil through slavery; a rich cultural heritage and a nation's tradition.To sing in the Roda of Capoeira, every Capoeiristas should learn Portuguese.
The following video was created by the Brazilian Government, presented to the UNESCO as part of their application to designate Capoeira as being an intangible heritage of humanity: