Capoeira group to perform at Taste of Annandale

Capoeira Candeias

Capoeira Candeias is bringing a high-energy combination of sport and dance from Brazil known as capoeira to the Taste of Annandale, a street festival Oct. 13 on Tom Davis Drive.

Although it is sometimes described as a martial art, the group’s founder, Jose Canchan, says “capoeira is based on games; we don’t call it fighting.”

Canchan and the other performers will do flips and other acrobatic movements to live music. “As a sport, it’s a great way to get a cardio workout and build up one’s endurance,” he says.

He also plans to present the more folkloric aspects of capoeira, including maculelê, a Brazilian dance with African roots where the performers use wooden sticks.

Capoeira Candeias offers lessons at Pilates Pro Works, 1103 Queen St. in Old Town, Alexandria. In addition to physical training, students learn a little about Brazilian culture, history, and the Portuguese language.

In 2014, UNESCO granted the capoeira circle a special protected status as an “intangible cultural heritage.” Members of the circle, led by a master, perform a series of movements and share a repertoire of chants, improvise songs, and follow a code of ethics and conduct.