Capoeira dates back nearly 500 years and is rooted in rich African traditions brought to Brazil by enslaved Africans. This art form arose from the pressures of colonialism and oppression. Slaves disguised these trained martial movements as dance and expressed them in a roda, the Brazilian-Portuguese word meaning circle. This movement or ‘game’ is played between two capoeiristas and is a fluid series of agile, acrobatic, and martial art movements linked together to form a unique conversation. An orchestra of berimbaus (stringed instrument amplified by a hallowed out gourd), atabaque (drum), pandeiro (tambourine), clapping and Brazilian-Portuguese songs provide energy to those playing inside the roda.