Capoeira: Afro-Brazilian Dance of Freedom

“Capoeira is the connection with your soul, your mind and your body…and more than yourself, everybody around you. Because I can’t play capoeira alone, Capoeira isn’t about only your body, it’s about the community”

Episode four of our new podcast series, Roots & Ritual, explores Capoeira, a martial art, a dance, a game of skill and strategy, and a way of storytelling. Trippin’s co-founder Yasmin Shahmir and co-producer Robyn Landau, speak to leading experts and locals to uncover the origins and delve into the science behind Capoeira. In this episode, we speak to Mestre Poncianinho who guides us through the rich world of Capoeira and Puma Camille, who is pushing the practice forward through his fusion with Vogue, connecting two cultures that have found emancipation through movement. Listen to this episode on all streaming platforms, as we explore themes of movement, mastery, community and connection.

Capoeira is a multi-layered practice. A martial art, a dance, a game of skill and strategy, and a way of storytelling. Although it’s now a cornerstone of Brazilian culture, the roots of this practice are founded in Angola, where it evolved from a fight-like dance called N’Golo, the Dance of the Zebra. When African people were taken to Brazil during slavery the wisdom of their traditions came with them. This expressive moving art form became a way to strengthen mind, body and spirit, creating community and preserving history in the process.

Capoeira has since become a part of Brazil’s cultural heritage and is practiced passionately across the world to this day. In this episode, we speak to Mestre Ponciano who guides us through the rich world of Capoeira and Puma Camille, who is pushing the practice forward through his fusion with Vogue, connecting two cultures that have found emancipation through movement.

“How to be in the now, how to be in that state of flow and how to use that knowledge to empower others and myself is the biggest gift Capoeira has given me, and I’m constantly humbled by that” - Ponciano Almeida