Capoeira Angola is the traditional style of Bahian Capoeira. It is usually, although not always characterized by playful, ritualized games, which combine elements of dancing, combat, and music, while stressing interaction between the two players and the musicians and observers.

History

Capoeira has its roots in Central and West African cultures that were brought to Brazil through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Bantu peoples from the modern day country of Angola in Central Africa had a practice known as "N'golo," or the Dance of the Zebras. The movements of N'golo mimicked the movements of zebras, some of which can be identified in contemporary Capoeira Angola, for example, chamada, "cabecada," and chapa. The N'golo dance was practiced by two young warriors in the tribe competing for the hand of a young woman of marriagable age. Whoever had a more beautiful performance won the bride and was excused from having to pay a dowry. Once in Brasil, N'golo developed into a fighting style incorperating elements of indigenous Brazilian and Portuguese cultures that Brazilians of African descent used to maintain themselves spiritually and physically under the harsh circumstances of slavery and plantation life. It developed mainly in three places: Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and the state of Bahia. While in the first two places, Capoeira was violent, and had no music, in Bahia it became more of a ritualized game, with a strong musical element. This is the style that is today referred to as Capoeira Angola, a term originally coined by Mestre Pastinha in an attempt to differentiate it from Capoeira Regional, which was created by Mestre Bimba in the 1930's.

While many practitioners in Bahia used their knowledge of capoeira to fight, the elements of Capoeira Angola can be practiced without solely relying on the martial elements.

Since the rise of Capoeira Regional as practiced by the group Senzala in Rio de Janeiro (the name came from Mestre Bimba's school which originally taught what was called the "luta regional baiana" or the "Regional Fight of the state of Bahia"), the popularity of Capoeira Angola declined in the face of the flashier and far more overtly martial style. Apparently very little thought was given to the roots of the Groupo Senzala style of Capoeira Regional which became popular far from Capoeira's roots in the northeast in Bahia, and it was assumed by many, include masters of the Angola style, that it was seeing its slow slide as an art into becoming a historical footnote.

By the end of the 1970's however, many players of Capoeira Regional began to seek out the older Angola masters in order to connect with and understand the roots of the game. Capoeira Angola thus experienced a resurgence that involved a re-assessment of the traditional form of Capoeira. This may also have been due to the fact that Capoeira began to be played outside of Brazil, where a greater number of capoeiristas became interested in Capoeira Angola (the bias of most Brazilians against elements of their country's culture that come from Africa, especially those things that have a relationship to African traditions, could partly explain why outsiders could have more interest than Brazilian practitioners in the traditional form of the art).

It is worth noting that many feel that Capoeira Angola itself has changed from what it used to be 100 years ago. It is much more organized, and the style of play, though it is distinct from Capoeira Regional, has become very technical in some places. This is a natural outcome of having capoeira academies (in Portuguese, the word "academy" means the same as "gym" in English - a place of exercise), and classes for Capoeira Angola, where training goes on.