Axé Capoeira Show Team

Axé Capoeira will travel anywhere in the greater Chicago area and beyond. We have been seen as far north as Marquette, MI and as far south as Bloomington, IN. Grupo Axé Capoeira adds excitement and enthusiasm to any event with colorful costumes, beautiful dances, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and amazing acrobatics. We can and will tailor the performance to your needs and stay within your budget. The performance will consist of one or all of these parts depending on your needs:

Capoeira
Capoeira (cap-o-ay-ra) is a unique, interdisciplinary Brazilian art form combining acrobatics, dance, martial arts and passionate Afro-Brazilian music. The performance will contain capoeira solos and duplas (pairs) done within and capoeira roda (ring) which will delight audiences with their dazzling movements.

Samba
​Samba (sahm-bah) is one of the most popular and well-known dances from Brazil. The Samba music rhythm has been danced in Brazil since its inception in the late 19th century. Featuring a highly contagious rhythm, samba is usually seen during Carnaval and Mardi Gras celebrations around the world, featuring dancers wearing state-of-the-art costumes, decorated with feathers and rhinestones.

Samba Reggae
Samba-reggae is a very modern-looking dance derived from Afro-Brazilian and candomble dance moves, performed to a live music, that is a blend of Bob Marley’s reggae style and elements of Bahian style of samba – samba de roda. Often performed in a social setting , samba-reggae dances tend to be done in a follow-the-leader fashion, with a few skilled dancers initiating moves in a line in front of the crowd, and the whole crowd following along. In addition samba-reggae drummers often dance as they drum

Dança Afro
Afro-Brazilian dance accompanied by rapturous live drumming. Originated in Africa and migrated with the slaves to Brazil during its colonial era, the dance has mixture of the steps, like rapid marking of the rhythm by the feet, and free and independent movements of arms, chest, head, and hips.

Colheita
Colheita is a traditional harvest dance from Brazil. The dance, portrayed entirely by women, represents the annual bean harvest in rural Brazil. The dancers wear traditional colorful and flowing skirts. They swing woven baskets rhythmically, which is derived from collecting and sifting beans at the harvest.

Maculelê
Maculelê (mah-coo-leh-leh) is an Afro-Brazilian dance created as a game by African slaves on the sugarcane plantations in northeastern Brazil. The slaves would play maculelê with the machetes used to cut sugarcane to vent their anger and frustration. Later, it evolved to a form of expressive dance with athletic moves, where performers strike wooden sticks and/or machetes to the drumbeat.

Coco De Roda
Coco De Roda (Cocoo-dee-hoda) is a typical dance from the coastal regions of northeastern Brazil. Coco music has a strong African and Native Brazilian Indian influence and is performed with a series of percussion instruments. Coco rhythm first took shape based on the sounds of breaking coconuts, and later evolved as it’s own music style. The choreography of the dance is based on joyous foot stomping and spins, dancing in lines and circles. The performers wear colorful skirts and beach hats.

Dança dos Orixas
Traditional folkloric dance of deities from a syncretic religion – candomble, originated among enslaved Africans in Brazil. Orixas are synthesized with catholic saints, but also believed to be patrons of different forces of nature and have their own characteristics as well as dance and music styles. Axe Chicago’s Danca dos Orixas features two most expressive dances of Oxum and Iansã as a tribute to the folkloric roots of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Maracatu
Maracatu is a parade style performance with a drumming group and a coterie of dancers and stock characters including the king and queen. Dancers and stock characters dress and behave to imitate the Portuguese royal court of the Baroque period. The performance also enacts pre-colonial African traditions, like parading the calunga, a doll representing tribal deities and Orixas – traditional Afro-Brazilian goddesses. Traditionally seen during Carnaval in Pernambuco, northeast Brazil, it’s one of the most colorful and elaborate performances.

Workshops
Axé Capoeira offers capoeira & dance workshops for introductory, beginner, or advanced students. Workshops will be suited for the skill level of the group. For any information on performances or workshops please contact us and describe the size/type of show requested, venue, location, and number of attendees.

Depending on the type of performance, we can adjust to the what is available. Some items that may be needed:

Costume Changes:
Need a private area to change and store costumes in close proximity to performance area

Stage/area:
Need ample floor space to perform | minimum 12'x12'

Sound Tech:
None required, but vocals may not be audible over live percussion, depending on the elements of the performance.