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Fascinating capoeira.Whoever has an interest in Brazil will sooner or later cross the path ofcapoeira, for this martial art symbolizes the true brazilian spirit. Alongwith candomble and samba, it is one of the most joyful manifestations of afro-brazilian heritage...All photographic images produced in Salvador da Bahia, best historicalillustrations, great artwork and original watercolours... a real visualtreat ! Capoeira Bahia is a pocket size picture book that will take you on a breathtaking journey into the fascinating world of the most dangerous yet playful martial art ever !A great way to discover Bahia, the most African city in Brazil… ... Read more

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Afro-Brazilian. History of Brazil, Religion in Brazil, Capoeira, Music of Brazil, Macumba, Umbanda, Brazilian cuisine, List of Brazilians of Black African descent, Chica da Silva (person) ... Read more

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Falling on her bum bum again, Marina Ligiera just can't do the parafuso, the coolest kick in all of Capoeira. She's ready to hang up her green belt and quit.At the suggestion of her pesky brother Mateo, she decides to practice until she falls ten times. Can she finally succeed and earn the coveted yellow belt?Capoeira is a wonderful mix of dance, music and martial arts that was born in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Brazil. Its popularity is growing throughout the world.To find out more about Capoeira, visit CapoeiraCountdown.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An inspiring read for younger children!
This is a very useful introduction to the Portuguese culture and the sport of capoeira. It's a fun learn-to-read book, because it uses a mix of simple and more challenging words. It would be a great fit for any family or school library.

I completely identified with Marina's struggles, the temptation to give up and the great exhilaration that comes with hard-won success.

The illustrations also convey a sly humor that kids will appreciate.

Inspiring story....
The book was fun, and our kids really liked it. We highly recommend it to parents of kids from 3 to 8. The lesson of not giving up, learning about other cultures and the colorful characters made it a joy to read. Capoeira is a beautiful and physical art form that more kids should learn about. The pictures were also a lot of fun, and we hope that there will be more books like this that we can find!

Marina's Capoiera Countdown
My 4.5 year old son loves this book and I do too.He likes it because he likes the idea of dancing and the great illustrations.I like it because it teaches perserverance and having a good attitide, and becasue I don't mind reading it again and again.It's like a modern-day Little Engine That Could.

Marina's Capoeira Countdown
An absolutely delightful book for children---my grandchildren adored it! A MUST buy for little ones.Hoping for a series of Marina books.......... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Misconception?
I just wanted to say that I read the info on the back of the book, and when it said that Capoeira would be featured in the 2004 Athens Olympics, I was esctatic because my boyfriend practices Capoeira and I had hopes of surprising him with the information.Little did I know that when I signed on the official 2004 Athens Olympic site and looked up the sports featured, Capoeira would not be listed.Perhaps the info on the book should be rewritten?

Add to collection
This book is part of a series of books about African and African-American related history. It gives the reader an introduction to Capoeira and is a very good book for children. There are better books for individuals who want more detailed information about Capoeira. However, this is a good selection for someone who does not know much about Capoeira.

Scam
The book "Capoeira - a martial art and a cultural tradition" is worthless if you're already into Capoeira. Most of the facts (and the song lyrics/translations) have been taken from Bira Almeidas book - "Capoeira - a brazilian artform", by that one instead! You can also get better information on Capoeira, just by seraching for "Capoeira" on the Internet! But if you want a lousy copy of Almeidas book, including a lot of wrongly named movements and stuff like that, buy this one!

Even the layout and photography is bad!

Stay away!

A Good Place to Start
Capoeira:A Martial Art and a Cultural Tradition is a good place to learn what Capoeira is. It is NOT a book to teach Capoeira. It gives a good history of this beautiful art as well as a brief insight into how it isperformed. The only downside is that it continually refers to Capoeira as agame when it is really so much more. ... Read more

Product Description
Capoeria is a Brazilian art that involves dancing and fighting.Capoeira was invented in the 1800s and it has become a popular activity today.Capoeira is now being used to help street children in Brazil to stay away from trouble.How does it help these children?What do they learn from capoeira? ... Read more

Product Description
The first in a two-volume series on capoeira, Volume One traces the origins of the popular martial art and dance form from the beginning of the slave trade in the Americas in the 1500s to the early years of the Brazilian Republic in the 20th century. Focusing on the people and events that shaped the art form in Brazil prior to the "academy" period of the last century, Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola from Luanda to Cyberspace explores the subject from many vantage points. Author Gerard Taylor explains how the fighting techniques of African forces laid the groundwork for capoeira movements. He shows how work songs, religion, and various percussive traditions and instruments shaped capoeira music over the years. Drawing on archival sources and historical accounts, the book paints a vivid picture of capoeira’s dramatic evolution from the sugar plantations of Pernambuco through the brutal backstreets of Rio and the Minas Gerais goldmines on its way to becoming a world-class practice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Best historical summary of capoeira
I have been training capoeira for 13 years and have read many books on the subject.This is the first book I have read that provides a detailed, well referenced history of capoeira from pre-slave trade in Africa to the establishment of recognized schools for the art in Brazil.I highly recommend this book for those wanting to know the roots and history of capoeira.
My only criticisms are:
the book does not present the information in a definitive chronological order but jumps forward and backward in time within a presented era, making it a bit difficult to follow at times; and
Taylor could have used a few (even one or two) maps to illustrate the locations he discusses.The reader can always use an atlas.

Lots of assumptions and inconsistencies
As far as history of capoeira goes, the author makes so many assumptions, jumps to so many conclusions and shows so many inconsistencies that this book cannot be taken seriously.

For example, he assumes that capoeira was already played to the rhythm of the berimbau in 19th century Bahia, based on nothing but a guess. He goes even further (without citing one source whatsoever), stating that capoeira in the 19th century was played to the "bateria" as we know it today: berimbau, atabaque, pandeiro, reco-reco e agogo.

That assumption is completely crazy, besides making no sense, of course. Capoeira was played in the streets and capoeiras were often chased by the police. Right now, I can close my eyes and see one of them running from the cops with an atabaque on its back...

Then he makes other assumptions based on one of M. Pastinha's interviews and on his ghost-written book.

Many people are aware that it is naive to take Mestre Pastinha's interviews literally as he was known for speaking in highly metaphorical words. And many capoeira researchers also find it very likely that a few people other than the Mestre and the ghostwriter were actually involved in the writing of his book.

Finally, if anyone is interested in serious, detailed, backed-up, complete research about the history of capoeira, to this day I've only come across one book who lives up to its promise: Capoeira- the history of an Afro-Brazilian martial art, by Matthias Rohrig Assuncao.

An Historical Perspective
This first part of two by Gerard Taylor is less about capoeira per se than it is about helping the reader understand the environment in which capoeira evolved.The author's stated intent for the second half is to invest much more narrative to the subject of capoeira itself in the modern world.Given this, I'm not terribly disappointed that Volume One is mostly about the histories of Brazil and Portuguese Africa as they relate to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the evolution of capoeira in Brazil.However, prospective readers should bear in mind that Volume One really is a book on history, albeit one worthy of inclusion in the syllabus of a collegiate Portuguese history class.

Taylor covers a great deal of time and space in 450 pages of text, from the Portuguese exploration of West Africa in the 1400's to the mid-Twentieth Century in Brazil.His focus is on the people who would give birth to capoeira: slaves from West and Central Africa.The Portuguese of Brazil play a key role in that they created the conditions under which Africans were brought to Brazil as slaves.According to Taylor, many of the slaves who were transported to Brazil from Central Africa between 1500 and the late 1800's were prisoners of war who were sold to the Portuguese.As a result, large numbers of fighting men schooled and experienced in the way of Central African war were included in the body of slaves.Some of the slaves who escaped and fled to the edges of Brazilian society were military men.These warriors brought experience with the Central African fighting techniques to villages called quilombos where escaped slaves formed new communities.Quilombos often were protected by extensive earthworks and obstacles, which presented real challenges for Portuguese attempting to recapture slaves and wipe out the quilombos.

Central African warfare was almost exclusively fought by infantry.The infantry used swords and spears, but they almost never carried shields.Instead of blocking attacks, the Central African infantry used a fluid, mobile technique of avoiding blows altogether.This style of moving, twisting, and dodging defense finds an expression in capoeira.

Taylor also covers areas such as the growth of the Brazilian economy from its earliest stages, the patterns of the slave trade, and life in the quilombos.Overall, this first book of two is an enjoyable, accessible work of history as it relates to the evolution of capoeira.I'm looking forward to reading Volume Two.

A Thorough Examination of Sources.....
This volume is NOT a physical instructional manual.It is a dedicated examination of how Capoeira came to be, from the Continent of Africa from which the root of this combative art hied, to its development in Brazil.

The author examines a variety of sources (which he lists).Rather than stopping at the usual cursory description of the original slaves imported to Brazil from Africa, Taylor provides documentary evidence concerning the existence, treatment, and conditions encountered by slaves imported to Brazil from Angola and other regions of Africa.Taylor's descriptions and historical references make the experiences of these peoples very real, and does more than any work I have read thus far to explain the spiritual, cultural and physical reasons behind the development and propegation of Capoeira, at once both a method of personal defense and strength training, and a physical mode of expression.

For those with a dedicated interest in the history of Capoeira specifically, or anyone with an interest in the anthroplogical side of combative arts generally, this first volume in a planned two-volume set is a must.I look forward to reading a continuation of this history. ... Read more

Product Description
Capoeira evolved as a Brazilian martial art developed initially by that country’s African slaves. Marked by deft, deceptive movements played on the ground or completely inverted, the form started gaining worldwide popularity in the early 20th century, when this second volume of Gerard Taylor’s wide-ranging history begins.

The book opens with a study of the capoeira “Bamba,” Mestre Bimba, who became renowned as a fighting champion in Bahia and opened the first legal academy during the dictatorship of Getulio Vargas. Taylor investigates the dramatic development of the schism that resulted in the competing styles of Regional and Angola. Moving into contemporary capoeira, the author provides an overview of new trends, such as international encounters, long distance “mail-order mestres,” mass membership capoeira associations, cyber-capoeira, and grading systems.

The book features the wisdom of a number of important mestres recounting their experiences teaching capoeira professionally around the world. In frank, inspiring interviews they talk about the highs and lows of the capoeira life, and how its lessons can enrich people’s lives.

Photographs, illustrations, and an extensive glossary of terms illuminate the complex history of this fighting art. ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, voice actor, film director, producer, comedian and singer. He is the second-highest grossing actor in motion picture history. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor for his performance in 48 Hrs and best actor in a comedy or musical for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and The Nutty Professor. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's Mulan. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in Dr. Strangelove and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in Coming to America, Wes Craven's Vampire In Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger, and 2007's Norbit. Murphy was born in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Lilian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Ve... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=54539 ... Read more

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Chapters: Samba, Brazilian Rock, Capoeira Music, Bossa Nova, Zouk-Lambada, Funk Carioca, Forró, Maracatu, Tropicalismo, Brazilian Thrash Metal, Brazilian Football Songs, List of Brazilian Punk and Hardcore Groups, Choro, Frevo, Latin Jazz, Proibidão, Música Popular Brasileira, Batala, Jongo, Pagode, Tecno Brega, Axé Music, Jovem Guarda, Baião, Clube Da Esquina, Maxixe, Mangue Bit, Tche Music, Sambass, Melodic Funk, Lundu, Far Out Recordings, Samba-Canção, Punk in Brazil, Música Sertaneja, Afoxê. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 175. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Samba (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in African roots. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival. Considered one of the most popular Brazilian cultural expressions, the samba has become an icon of Brazilian national identity. The Bahian samba de roda (dance circle), which became a UNESCO Heritage of Humanity in 2005, is the main root of the samba carioca, the samba that is played and danced in Rio de Janeiro. Samba rhythm.The modern samba that emerged from the beginning of the century rate is basically 2/4 tempo and varied, with conscious use of the possibilities of chorus sung to the sound of palms and batucada rhythm, and which would add one or more parts, or offices of declamatory verses. Traditionally, the samba is played by strings (cavaquinho and various types of guitar) and various percussion instruments such as tambourim. By influence of American orchestras in vogue since the Second World War and the cultural impact of US music post-war, began to be used also as instruments trombones and trumpets, and the influence choro, flute and clarinet. In addition to rhythm and bar set musically, historically brings in itself a whole cu...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=28261 ... Read more