dancelike martial art of Brazil, performed to the accompaniment
of call-and-response choral singing and percussive instrumental
music. It is most strongly associated with the country's
northeastern region. The basic aesthetic elements of capoeira
were brought to Brazil by slaves, primarily from west and west-
central Africa. These elements were recombined and reinterpreted
within the diverse slave community of Brazil to create a unique
means of self defense, both driven and disguisedas merely a
danceby its musical accompaniment. Slavery was abolished in
Brazil in 1888, but capoeira continued to flourish within the
Afro-Brazilian population, particularly in the northeastern
state of Bahia. The government, however, recognizing the
physical and spiritual potency of the art form and considering
it a threat to society, continued to outlaw the practice until
the early 20th century. Capoeira is best described not as a
dance but as a sport in which the participantshistorically,
sometimes with blades strapped to their