Capoeira was first developed by slaves in Brazil as a means of maintaining a ready self-defense against their masters. It is said to have originated from a ritualistic African dance. Capoeira was prohibited by slave owners and banished from the senzalas (slave barracks), forcing slaves to practice clandestinely in the forest. Later, in an attempt this act of defiance from the authorities, capoeira was developed into a kind of acrobatic dance. The clapping of hands and striking of the berimbau, a one-string musical instrument that looks like a fishing rod, originally served to alert the fighters to the approach of the boss and subsequently became incorporated into the dance to maintain the rhythm. Read more...