| academia |
capoeira school |
| aluno |
student of a capoeira master; same as discipulo |
| Angola |
a traditional style of capoeira |
| Angoleiro |
a practitioner of the Angola style |
| arame |
metal string on the berimbau |
| arrastao |
capoeira takedown, pulling both legs from under an
opponent |
| ataque |
attacking move or movement initiative |
| aú |
cartwheel |
| aviso |
a berimbau rythmn, formerly used to warn players
of a police raid |
| balanço |
part of the basic capoeira move (ginga); torso
rocks forward and back as the weight shifts |
| bamba |
someone adept at verbal or physical sparring;
capoeira expert |
| banda |
movement to trip or flank an opponent |
| barravent |
a berimbau rythmn; refers to a prepossesion trance
state |
| base |
base, the ginga, the fundamental movement |
| batizado |
the capoeira initiation ceremony; baptism |
| bênção |
blessing; a front kick |
| berimbau |
lead instrument in capoeira, a musical bow |
| bôca de siri |
'crab's mouth' movement |
| brincar |
to play like a child |
| cabaça |
gourd used as the resonator on the berimbau |
| cabeçada |
head butt |
| camará |
comrade; capoeira college |
| capoeirista |
a capoeira player |
| cavalaria |
'cavalry,' a berimbau rhythm formerly used to warn
of a police raid |
| caxixí |
woven rattle played with the berimbau |
| chamada |
'call,' a named subroutine of capoeira play,the
basic kind of inner game |
| chula |
special introductory song, always follows ladainha |
| cocorinha |
squatting movement |
| comprar de jôgo |
to buy a game, entering the circle by cutting in
on another player |
| contragolpe |
counterattack - to respond to an initiative |
| contramestre |
an instructor working under a master's guidance in
an academy |
| cordão |
colored belt awarded to mark grades of advancement
in some academies |
| corridos |
call and response songs accompanying action in the
circle |
| dá volta ao mundo |
'take a turn around the world', a named subroutine
of play that involves circling the ring |
| defesa |
defensive move or movement response |
| desequilibrante |
movement that unbalances the opponent |
| discípulo |
disciple, student of a capoeira master |
| dobrão |
coin used to play the berimbau |
| esquiva |
escape movement |
| fechar o corpo |
to close the body |
| floreios |
acrobatic movements |
| formatura |
graduation ceremony for a new capoeira master |
| fuga |
flight, a catagory of defensive movements |
| ginga |
the fundamental capoeira movement |
| golpe |
strike or blow; attacking movement |
| iaiá, ioiô |
terms used by slaves for daughters and sons of the
master |
| jogador |
player |
| jogar |
to play games |
| jôgo |
game |
| ladainha |
litany, and introductory solo, usually sung by a
master |
| ligeiro |
swift, quick; nimble, agile; slippery, dishonest |
| maculêlê |
another martial arts dance to music, involving
rhythmic stick play |
| malandragem |
hooliganism, shady activities; synonym for
capoeira play |
| malandro |
street tough, hoodlum, scoundrel, con man,bad guy |
| malícia |
deception, trickery, cunning, double-dealing,
indirection |
| mandigueiro |
sorceror; healer; synonym for capoeira player |
| mangangá |
medicine man |
| martelo |
'hammer' kick; a rhymed song form |
| meia-lua de compasso |
'half moon in a compass,' a spinning kick |
| mestre |
master, senior capoeira teacher |
| mocambo |
fugitive slave community |
| moeda |
coin used to play the berimbau |
| moleque |
street urchin |
| nome de guerra |
nickname given to a player in the course of his
training, sometimes as part of a batizado initiation |
| pandeiro |
tambourine |
| passada |
footwork, especially in the ginga |
| patuá |
protective amulet |
| pé |
'foot', position in front of the berimbau |
| pião |
'spinning top,' headspin (no hands) |
| queda |
fall, basic way to lose advantage in the game |
| quilombo |
fugitive slave community |
| rabo de arraia |
'stingray's tail' kick |
| rasteira |
sweep; the basic takedown |
| reco-reco |
ribbed bamboo scraper in capoeira musical ensemble |
| recuo |
retreat move, usually with one hand on the ground |
| Regional |
innovative, modern style of capoeira, associated
with Mestre Bimba |
| roda |
circle; space for playing capoeira |
| rocar |
to play music |
| saída |
exit, most formal way to enter ring; one 'exits'
from the foot of the berimbau |
| samba duro |
hard samba, involves tripping people while dancing |
| seqüência |
sequence of moves learned by players in Regional
style |
| vadiação |
loafing, hanging around; synonym for capoeira |
| vaqueta |
stick used to strike the string of the berimbau |
| vara |
wooden pole that is the body of the berimbau |
| vêrga |
wooden pole that is the body of the berimbau |
