Capoeira Luanda

NEA National Heritage Fellow Jelon Vieira leads an ensemble showcasing tradition of capoeira, an exciting Afro-Brazilian fusion of acrobatics, dance and martial arts that developed in slave and Maroon communities in the northern Brazilian state of Bahia.

  • Brazilian capoeira
  • New York, New York

From the Dean’s Desk »

Capoeira is as close to dance fighting as you can get. Slaves in Brazil used to practice this dance in the fields to disguise their preparations for fighting, and in the 1860s the Brazilian government sent capoeiristas to the front line in the war against Paraguay. Always accompanied by music (usually the one-stringed berimbau and singing), the acrobatic dancing duos will stun you with their flips and near misses.

Professional bio

NEA National Heritage Fellow Jelon Vieira leads an ensemble showcasing tradition of capoeira, an exciting Afro-Brazilian fusion of acrobatics, dance and martial arts that developed in slave and Maroon communities in the northern Brazilian state of Bahia.

  • error

    Report an error

Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Or report an error instead