Capoeira Glossary
From the J. Lowell Lewis book Ring
of Liberation
- academia - capoeira
school
- aluno - student of a capoeira
master; same as discipulo
- Angola - a traditional style of
capoeira
- Angoleiro - a practitioner of the
Angola style
- arame - metal string on the
berimbau
- arrastao - capoeira takedown,
pulling both legs from under an opponent
- ataque - attacking move or movement
initiative
- aú - cartwheel
- aviso - a berimbau rythmn, formerly
used to warn players of a police raid
- balanço - part of the basic
capoeira move (ginga); torso rocks forward and back as
the weight shifts
- bamba - someone adept at verbal or
physical sparring; capoeira expert
- banda - movement to trip or flank
an opponent
- barravent - a berimbau rythmn;
refers to a prepossesion trance state
- base - base, the ginga, the
fundamental movement
- batizado - the capoeira initiation
ceremony; baptism
- bênção - blessing; a front kick
- berimbau - lead instrument in
capoeira, a musical bow
- bôca de siri - 'crab's mouth'
movement
- brincar - to play like a child
- cabaça - gourd used as the
resonator on the berimbau
- cabeçada - head butt
- camará - comrade; capoeira college
- capoeirista - a capoeira player
- cavalaria - 'cavalry,' a berimbau
rhythm formerly used to warn of a police raid
- caxixí - woven rattle played with
the berimbau
- chamada - 'call,' a named
subroutine of capoeira play,the basic kind of inner game
- chula - special introductory song,
always follows ladainha
- cocorinha - squatting movement
- comprar de jôgo - to buy a game,
entering the circle by cutting in on another player
- contragolpe - counterattack - to
respond to an initiative
- contramestre - an instructor
working under a master's guidance in an academy
- cordão - colored belt awarded to
mark grades of advancement in some academies
- corridos - call and response songs
accompanying action in the circle
- dá volta ao mundo - 'take a turn
around the world', a named subroutine of play that
involves circling the ring
- defesa - defensive move or movement
response
- desequilibrante - movement that
unbalances the opponent
- discípulo - disciple, student of a
capoeira master
- dobrão - coin used to play the
berimbau
- esquiva - escape movement
- fechar o corpo - to close the body
- floreios - acrobatic movements
- formatura - graduation ceremony for
a new capoeira master
- fuga - flight, a catagory of
defensive movements
- ginga - the fundamental capoeira
movement
- golpe - strike or blow; attacking
movement
- iaiá, ioiô - terms used by slaves
for daughters and sons of the master
- jogador - player
- jogar - to play games
- jôgo - game
- ladainha - litany, and introductory
solo, usually sung by a master
- ligeiro - swift, quick; nimble,
agile; slippery, dishonest
- maculêlê - another martial arts
dance to music, involving rhythmic stick play
- malandragem - hooliganism, shady
activities; synonym for capoeira play
- malandro - street tough, hoodlum,
scoundrel, con man,bad guy
- malícia - deception, trickery,
cunning, double-dealing, indirection
- mandigueiro - sorceror; healer;
synonym for capoeira player
- mangangá - medicine man
- martelo - 'hammer' kick; a rhymed
song form
- meia-lua de compasso - 'half moon
in a compass,' a spinning kick
- mestre - master, senior capoeira
teacher
- mocambo - fugitive slave community
- moeda - coin used to play the
berimbau
- moleque - street urchin
- nome de guerra - nickname given to
a player in the course of his training, sometimes as part
of a batizado initiation
- pandeiro - tambourine
- passada - footwork, especially in
the ginga
- patuá - protective amulet
- pé - 'foot', position in front of
the berimbau
- pião - 'spinning top,' headspin
(no hands)
- queda - fall, basic way to lose
advantage in the game
- quilombo - fugitive slave community
- rabo de arraia - 'stingray's tail'
kick
- rasteira - sweep; the basic
takedown
- reco-reco - ribbed bamboo scraper
in capoeira musical ensemble
- recuo - retreat move, usually with
one hand on the ground
- Regional - innovative, modern style
of capoeira, associated with Mestre Bimba
- roda - circle; space for playing
capoeira
- saída - exit, most formal way to
enter ring; one 'exits' from the foot of the berimbau
- samba duro - hard samba, involves
tripping people while dancing
- seqüência - sequence of moves
learned by players in Regional style
- rocar - to play music
- vadiação - loafing, hanging
around; synonym for capoeira
- vaqueta - stick used to strike the
string of the berimbau
- vara - wooden pole that is the body
of the berimbau
- vêrga - wooden pole that is the
body of the berimbau
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