Roda
Roda
A circle of players and musicians within which capoeira is played. Music, singing and clapping set the rhythm and character of the game.
Quick Facts
Definition
The roda (Portuguese for “circle”) is the circle the other capoeiristas form around the game. In the middle, two players play the jogo, alternating kicks, dodges, acrobatics and takedowns. On one side sit the bateria musicians with berimbau, pandeiro and atabaque, while the others clap and answer the lead singer in song. The game is entered from the berimbau, and the two players first crouch by the instruments. A player can be replaced when a new one “buys the game” (comprar o jogo) by stepping in between them. The berimbau rhythm determines what game is played, and the player on the lead berimbau of the roda leads and ends it.
Relations to other terms
See also
A single-string musical bow with a gourd, the main instrument of capoeira. Its rhythm (toque) determines what game the players in the roda play.
AtabaqueAtabaqueA tall hand drum of African origin. In the capoeira roda it holds the basic rhythm together with the berimbau and pandeiro.
PandeiroPandeiroBrazilian tambourine with jingles around the rim. In the capoeira roda it accompanies the berimbau and atabaque.