Lecture/lab course introducing the movement, music and culture of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance, self-defense and acrobatics. Created by male African slaves in Brazil several hundred years ago, viewed as a social threat and outlawed in the 19th century, celebrated as an element of national identity in the 20th century, today capoeira is rapidly crossing national, racial and gender borders as it becomes a popular global practice. Studio classes twice a week focus on the basic movements, percussive music and call-and-response singing. Seminar once a week focuses on the historical, cultural and socio-political dynamics that shape capoeira in Brazil and beyond.
