Capoeira Videos: Two Riveting Short Movies of the Popular Brazilian Fight-Dance that Originated from African Slaves

But I am suggesting that even watching the capoeira dancers in these videos below can be an amazing and inspiring experience for you, as it is a gorgeous demonstration of what human passion and determination is capable of ... not to mention what the (young) human body is capable of.

(And if you are in Brazil or even most major urban regions of the U.S., where it is surging in popularity, try to catch a capoeira demonstration ... or take a professionally taught capoeira class if you are truly inspired after watching the videos below.)

Capoeira evolved from the highly artistic fight-dances of enslaved Africans in the 19th century who were shipped to South America. The slaves practiced and expanded it as a way to resist their oppressors, maintain their culture and art and uplift their spirits. Some historians believe that the indigenous natives of Brazil also influenced certain aspects of capoeira ... you’ll certainly hear a mix of the influences in the music.

To perform capoeira, participants form a circle (a “roda”) and take turns sparring in the middle while the others play music and sing. Typically the sparring partners do not make actual contact with one another, or at least not hard contact, but instead deliver a variety of graceful and powerful attack, defense and combo moves “at” target areas of one another.

There are three main styles of capoeira, within which there are many more regional variations. If you want more insight on this fascinating martial art / fight-dance / game after viewing the fascinating capoeira videos below, be sure to check out this capoeira overview.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This one is truly amazing... when you start it the screen will be black for a bit, be patient...