NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

DanceBrazil is a company of dancers and musicians dedicated to capoeira, a form of martial arts developed surreptitiously by Brazilian slaves in the 1700s. At that time, practitioners, in order to practice their kicks and blows, had to pretend they were dancing. Thus there is a mature style of capoeira music that grew along with the martial arts culture. DanceBrazil was founded in 1977 to promote Afro-Brazilian cultural forms—particularly dance and music—through its educational, presenting and producing activities.  It also commissions new work, sponsors residencies and documents Afro-Brazilian cultural life.