Capoeira for All

Classes establish a fundamental cross-cultural connection through vocabulary and movement. Students will be guided through the basic Capoeira positions, learning to string independent postures into fluid movements. They will also be taught the names and linguistic translations (from Portuguese to English) of the basic movements & other fundamental Capoeira vocabulary: Ginga, Esquiva, Roda, Berimbau.

Because many movements in Capoeira are from the animal kingdom, students (especially children) love to learn the imitative gestures. Because all of these movements and the call-and-response songs are in Portuguese, it is also an excellent tool for teaching a new language. Part of capoeira’s tradition is a folkloric warrior dance called, Maculelê, which is incorporated into the curriculum and serves as a cultural bridge to explore other related dances and traditions.

By participating in the program, children and adults become acquainted with all elements of the art form and learn new ways of moving their bodies in time with rhythm, play percussion instruments, sing songs in Portuguese, and gain confidence in expressing themselves through dance while encouraging the same in others.

Benefits

Strength

The exercise routines of Capoeira require lot of upper body movements, like moving around on hands during headstands, poses, rolls, etc. These movements involve engaging one’s core and abs, which results in fantastic upper body strength.

Flexibility

The strenuous routines promote flexibility in body, almost at par with Yoga. Even if you are not an expert in Capoeira, you will still feel the increase in flexibility of the body.

Stamina

Unlike many other sports, Capoeira engages muscle groups in unique ways. All the routines require lot of energy to co-ordinate with the group. All these factors, in addition to repetitive movements, make Capoeira an intense cardio exercise. This increases the muscular and cardio vascular endurance of the body and provides more stamina.

Coordination

Capoeira is unique in a way that all the movements are followed like a dance routine. All the movements are well coordinated and make you move gracefully and smoothly between the different Capoeira styles. This makes the body more coordinated and introduces a sense of rhythm as well.

Speed

The main essence of performing Capoeira is to do all the movements fluidly in a very short amount of time. As a martial arts technique, this will make your response time better and the body more agile to respond back to other people’s moves.

Balance

Capoeira teaches body to control instant and complex movements and be more balanced while doing that.

Stress Reduction

Performing the fluid movements to a sound track relaxes the body and the mind completely. You can totally feel the rush of the endorphins post the session.