Toques do berimbau: Association of Schools of Capoeira: Mestre China, Melbourne Australia

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The "toques" of Capoeira

In Capoeira, the style of play is controlled by the tempo/speed and toque (tune or rhythm) of the berimbau. Players must listen to the toque being played to know what "rules" to play by. Here are some of the more common ones:

Toque	Style	Speed	Other Details
Angola	Angola	Slow	Played mostly close to the ground.
São Bento Pequeno	Angola	Medium	A medium game played mostly on the ground, but with more standing movements than Angola.
São Bento Grande	Angola/ Regional	Medium/Fast	More of a standing game.
Banguela	Regional	Medium	Often called the Angola of Regional, with a lot of ground moves.
São Bento Grande de Regional	Regional	Fast	Fast, athletic play.
Iuna	Regional	Medium/Fast	For teachers and masters only. A game showing off acrobatic movements and throws of Mestre Bimba's Cintura Deprezada.
Santa Maria	Knife Game		For advanced Capoeiristas. The game is played with razor blades in the hands and/or between the toes.
Apanha Laranja no chão tico tico	Money Game		Players must out-manoeuvre eachother to pick up a banknote from the centre of the roda, with their mouth.

Other toques are not for playing Capoeira. They include:

Cavalaria: When Capoeira was illegal, this toque was played to warn of the approach of the mounted police/cavalry.

Aviso: Similar to Cavalaria. Once this rhythm was played, the Capoeiristas would blend into the crowd, so that the police would only see an old man playing a berimbau when they arrived. Could also advise of the presence of a stranger or intruder.

Samba de Roda: This toque is for dancing Samba, and is often used to finish a roda. A man and woman dance together, and when another man wants to dance, he fakes a leg trip on the man dancing and takes his place. Women can do the same thing by pushing the woman in the middle with their hip and taking her place.

Glossary:

Angola: Name given to the more traditional style of Capoeira, which is played close to the ground, and with a lot of ritual. More info
Berimbau: One stringed instrument resembling a bow used as the main instrument of Capoeira. More info
Capoeirista: Capoeira player.
Cintura Deprezada: A sequence of throws done without spotting devised by Mestre Bimba to teach students to land on their feet, and lose their fear of falling.
Regional: Style of Capoeira developed in the 1930s by Mestre Bimba played upright with high kicks and movements adapted from other martial arts. More info
Roda: Circle of people which is formed to play Capoeira inside.
Samba: Fun and improvised Brazilian dance based around the movement of the hips and feet.
Toque: Berimbau tune or rhythm.
Last updated 14/11/05