brazil fightt dance 2009

Capoeira originated in Brazil, when African slaves from all over Africa, including Sudan, Angola and Mozambique, began combining traditional African dance, with fighting techniques. Capoeira was said to be a demonstration against the homogenization of African culture, a combination of cultural practices from different regions as well as a means for self protection and defense. In the late 1800s, Capoeira was made illegal, after it was suspected as a potential cause of unrest and revolution amongst slaves. After it became illegal to openly practice Capoeira, slaves began to participate in the art secretly, for fear of brutal and violent punishments.