HISTORY

Introduction | Guerreiro Zumbi | Besouro Mangangá | Mestre Bimba | Mestre Pastinha | Capoeira Angola | Capoeira Regional

CAPOEIRA ANGOLA:

Angola is considered to be the mother form of capoeira and is often characterized by deeply held traditions, slower, sneakier movements played closer to the ground, and with the players playing their games in closer proximity to each other than in Regional or Contemporanea. The father of modern capoeira Angola is considered to be Mestre Pastinha who lived in Salvador, Bahia. Today, most of the capoeira Angola media that is accessible in the United States comes from mestres in Pastinha's lineage. This isn't to say that he was the only one or that he was the originator. Many others helped in the preservation and propagation of capoeira Angola.

The Angola style, while emphasizing the traditions and history of capoeira, remains a contemporaneous art in the vibrant street scene of Salvador, Bahia. There is a diversity of styles and players, all of the traditional form, playing or performing in a great range of speeds and testing each other in various academies and in the street.