For the uninitiated, Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian combination of martial art, dance, and acrobatics. It originated among slaves in Brazil, who wished to practice fighting but had to hide this from their masters. More general info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira

I'm not sure which group exactly is in this clip, but the school is Cordao de Ouro. Roughly the first half of the clip is a particular type of game (you 'play' Capoeira, if you 'fight' it then you're completely missing the point) called Miudinho, which is unique to the Cordao de Ouro school. Unlike almost all the other games in Capoeira it contains set sequences of moves, although players are still free to improvise at any time.

The basic intention of Miudinho is to practice close (the natural tendency is to stand about 2 meters apart) and fast games. The result is games like in the second half of the clip, where the music changes and everyone is singing.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. Michie, thanks for inviting me to the Sports Sift!