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Capoeira:
The Ancient Brazilian Fighting Dance, Lives On Today.
The Restoration Dance Studio began in a storefront on Fulton Street in 1974. Tap, mnastics and other Caribbean and African dance classes have consisted mostly of girls throughout the years. Until recently, steel and African drumming classes have been incorporated as well as the Capoeira class. "As the kids grow, we lose the boys," says Jacqui Woods, arts manager for the Restoration Dance Theater. "This was a way to keep them in the arts." The Capoeira class, pronounced "ka-pweh-rah," is non-contact because most of the children are too young and inexperienced. The emphasis, then, is developing skills and basic movements in a playful context while teaching the seriousness of its origin: slavery days of 18th century Brazil. The reason Queimado, a Caribbean native, started Capoeira was because he felt a connection to African traditions.
Capoeira was developed in the "senzalas," or places where slaves were kept after being shipped to Brazil. Tribes who historically fought each other in West Africa joined together in the mountain regions of Brazil after escaping from plantations to fight for freedom. Capoeira was a product of this rich cultural fusion and it became their weapon and symbol of freedom. However its use was forbidden because it posed a serious threat to white people. Music, singing and dance were then incorporated to disguise the fact it was a deadly martial art. The music and call-and-response style of singing are what make Capoeira a unique art form, and its camouflage enabled people to perform Capoeira as a folk dance. Nicknames derived from characteristics were also used to create an identity that was separate and distinct from regular life; slaves could not be traced by name after they fled plantations.
 
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