Mas hoje é dia de festa
eu jurei que não vou me importar
se o batuque não sai como eu gosto
se a morena não vai me olhar
hoje eu quero jogar capoeira
ver mandinga pra lá e pra cá
esse luta, essa dança guerreira
faz meu corpo se arrepiá
brincadeira…
Brincadeira, mandinga
no molejo do corpo, va molejar.
Brincadeira, mandinga
But today is a day of feast
I swear that it won’t matter to me
if the rhythm doesn’t go the way I like it
if the woman doesn’t look at me
today I like to play Capoeira
see mandinga over there and over here
this fight, this warrior dance
makes my body have goosebumps
playing…
Playing, mandinga
With the swinging of the body, go swing
Playing, mandinga
Did you know?
Batuque
- Batuque was a formidable, highly competitive Afro-Brazilian martial art centered around balance and leg sweeps that originated in Salvador, Bahia, during the 19th century.
- The main objective of the combat was to unbalance opponents and forcefully throw them to the ground using only kicks, trips, and sweeps.
- The combat was driven by the booming rhythms of hand drums and traditional percussion instruments, which set the intense physical energy and pace for the fighters.
- Mestre Bimba was a master of this style, learning the art directly from his father, who was an absolute champion of the discipline.
- He heavily integrated the techniques and devastating leg sweeps of this combat art into the creation of Capoeira Regional.
- While the independent martial practice eventually became extinct by the mid-20th century, its combative spirit and lethal mechanics live on through capoeira.