Articles about capoeira

Answers to the questions parents and new students ask before their first class, from the instructors and students of Conejo Valley Capoeira. For the history of the art, start with What is Capoeira?

Children practicing capoeira movements together in a classroom

Is capoeira good for kids? What children get from it

What capoeira teaches children ages 5 to 14: coordination, confidence, music and teamwork, plus what a kids class in Thousand Oaks looks like and how to start.

Read more
Adult students of Arte Reviver Capoeira in their capoeira whites

Starting capoeira as an adult: what your first class is like

Starting capoeira at 15, 35 or 55: what happens in a first adult class, what you need, and the worries every beginner has. Adult classes in Thousand Oaks.

Read more
A capoeirista throws an aerial kick in the roda

Capoeira compared with karate, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing

How capoeira differs from karate, taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing: the game, the music and the movement, and which kind of student each one suits.

Read more
Musicians playing berimbaus at the head of the roda while two players start a game

Capoeira music: the berimbau, pandeiro, atabaque and the songs

Why capoeira is played to live music, what the berimbau, pandeiro, atabaque, agogo and reco-reco do in the roda, and how the call-and-response songs work.

Read more
Children seated in a roda during a kids capoeira class

After-school activities in Thousand Oaks: why kids love capoeira

Looking for an after-school activity in Thousand Oaks? Why capoeira works for kids ages 5 to 14, how it compares with team sports, and when classes run.

Read more
Berimbau gourds and caxixi rattles

Capoeira terms: a glossary for beginners

Roda, ginga, au, meia lua, berimbau, batizado: the Portuguese words you will hear in your first capoeira classes, explained in plain English.

Read more
Young capoeira students holding up their new cords

Capoeira cords and the batizado, explained

How capoeira students progress: what the cord around the waist means, what happens at a batizado ceremony, and why there is no rush to the next level.

Read more
Jogar Capoeira, an 1835 painting by Johann Moritz Rugendas

Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional: the two traditions

The difference between Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional, the mestres behind each, and what contemporary capoeira takes from both.

Read more