Snapped: Capoeiristas

Capoeira perfomers at Sydney's Pitt Street Mall.

This form of martial arts was originally developed and practised by West African slaves in Brazil as a covert means of both preserving their culture as well as maintaining fitness and self-defence knowledge. The elegant and graceful form of capoeira was easily disguised from the Portuguese as a form of dance and celebration.

With its combination of liquid agility, ritual music, spiritual passion and--let's face it--visual wow factor, capoeira is fast catching on in popularity. Capoeira performances are always a feature at the Bacardi Latino Festival and even Eddy Gordo from Tekken 3 is a bona fide capoeirista.

The music, the chanting and the awe-inspiring acrobatics were both relaxing and yet adrenalin-pumping too.

The Pitt Street crowd was definitely mesmerised.




The berimbau bowed instrument is played by a Mestre, or master of the art. The chosen tempo will determine the type of jogo (game) participants will play in the roda (circle).


The atabaque (floor drum) and pandeiro (Brazilian tambourine) provide accompaniment to the berimbau.