Ginga
Ginga
Literally: swaying, dancing
Ginga is capoeira's basic swaying movement done to music, the base for other techniques, which also conceals attacks.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Mestre Camisa regards straightening the front leg, which puts the knee at risk, and crossing the back leg, which leaves the capoeirista open to the banda technique, as mistakes.
About
Ginga is the basic movement of capoeira from which other techniques derive. The name comes from Bantu languages and means to dance, to sway or to play; it has been used in Brazil since the late 19th century. The capoeirista sways fluidly forward and back in the rhythm of the music: the feet repeat a constant triangular step while the arms move in sync with it, up, down and in and out, keeping the rhythm of the game. According to sources, the basic form of ginga comes from engolo, the African fighting dance that historically preceded capoeira. It is practised in both Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional as the starting movement of the game; in Angola it tends to be more expressive and individual, in Regional more structured and defensive. It serves to confuse and deceive the opponent, to conceal attacks and set up feints, and sources also link it to defence against a knife or a weapon. It is often seen as the embodiment of malícia, cunning, and as the first principle of capoeira. Mestre Camisa regards straightening the front leg, which puts the knee at risk, and crossing the back leg, which leaves the capoeirista open to the banda technique, as mistakes.