Capoeira regional
Capoeira Regional is one of the two main forms of Capoeira , a Brazilian martial art .
The Capoeira Regional is the younger of the two styles and the one that is faster, louder and more direct. While in the older style, Capoeira Angola , the encounters are accompanied by melancholy melodies, in the Regional the music heats up the players and therefore concentrates more on choir singing than on performing long stanzas. The game itself includes high and direct kicks as well as numerous acrobatic interludes ( floreios ). It is also allowed to act on the body of the other player. With kicks and punches, the latter being rarely practiced, hits may be achieved. Likewise, the partner may be knocked over, which is done using appropriate techniques such as foot-sweeps or bumps. The intention to seriously impair or even injure the other players is generally not desired in almost all Capoeira associations and clubs.
Manuel dos Reis Machado, also known as Mestre Bimba , was originally an Angoleiro himself (a Capoeirista who practices Angola). During his active time as a young man, he developed a negative attitude towards the Capoeira of the time, or towards the image that the public had of Capoeira. At the beginning of the 20th century, many people knew it only as the forbidden street fighting technique of the urban gangs of that time. But Bimba wanted to develop a modern, recognized martial art from it and concentrated on developing Capoeira. He enriched it with elements of Jiu Jitsu and Batuque and designed systematic methods to teach the practices. Until then, capoeiristas only learned on the street. Since the 1930s they have been able to learn Baiana Regional Baiana at Bimbas Academy in Salvador da Bahia Luta Regional ; "the regional game of Bahia". In 1937 the ban was lifted by the nationalist dictator Getúlio Dornelles Vargas after seeing a demonstration by Mestre Bimba and his students. He intended to establish Capoeira as a national sport.
In the years and decades that followed, the differences between Luta Regional Baiana and the original Capoeira became increasingly clear and weighty, so that they were soon divided into "Regional" and "Angola". The capoeiristas of both styles also differ optically. The regional players can be recognized by their white trousers and shirts, as well as the colored cords ( Cordas ) and their bare feet; sometimes bare chests. The Angoleiros, on the other hand, usually have black trousers and yellow shirts and often wear belts and shoes, but do not have a uniform dress code, so that some play Capoeira Angola with a suit and hat.
The popularity of Capoeira has grown steadily since its legalization. The poor blacks who had begun to practice both styles were soon joined by poor white Brazilians, then also wealthy Brazilians, and finally girls and women. From Brazil, it began to spread across the globe in the 1970s, and has increased since the 1990s. Today, Capoeira Regional is a trend sport that is enjoying growing popularity all over the world, not least in German-speaking countries.
Within the Capoeira Regional there is also the Bangela or Benguela. This is a game that used to be played with weapons (knives or razor blades). Today it is a slow game in which elements of Capoeira Angola are taken up in order to combine them with acrobatically reduced techniques of Capoeira Regional. The kicks and throws mentioned at the beginning, which can hit the other player, play an important role here.