Capoeira Angola

After eating at our oh-so-lovely Bruff cafeteria, I saw a demonstration of capoeira angola, a Brazilian slave form of martial arts.

Capoeira is interesting because it had to teach slaves how to defend themselves without seeming like it was a martial art. Therefore, capoeira looks a lot like a cultural dance instead of a martial art. Since the slaves couldn't ever directly attack their masters, the prized skill in capoeira is redirecting aggression and using sneakiness.

The demonstration I saw was pretty interesting, but very slow. I suppose that the demonstrators were just beginners, which would explain the lack of dynamic action. I think that capoeira can only be limited in its uses though, considering that it only teaches defensive techniques against aggression.