ABSTRACT:
This paper aims to discuss how the enslaved, criminalized, violent “capoeira” was reconfigured under the influence of Master Bimba in late 19th century, becoming a sport nationally known as a gymnastics modality in early 20th century. In a poor street of Pelourinho, Salvador, Bahia, inhabited by beggars and prostitutes, Master Bimba settled his academy, putting to practice the ideal he had dedicated his whole life to: a space for education and fighting for recognition, in which “mandinga”, “malevolence”, and “trickery” became objects of education for both white and black people, being them poor or rich.
Keywords:
Capoeira; Master Bimba; Mandinga