Ginga – Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian Culture in Bahia

Shot entirely on film, this series documents capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music, as it is practiced today. It highlights capoeira as a living vessel of Afro-Brazilian culture, identity, and community.

Shot over several months during my time in Brazil, this project developed from a growing curiosity that gradually turned into a deeper understanding of capoeira and, eventually, a desire to photograph and tell the story of this fascinating art form from within. I returned to Brazil to immerse myself more fully in the practice, spending extended time in the small coastal town of Itacaré in Bahia. Working closely with local mestres and capoeiristas, I moved from observation to participation, shaping the work through time spent in training spaces, rodas, and everyday environments where capoeira is lived, shared, and transmitted. Over time, conversations, repetition, and proximity to the community became central to how the series took form.

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music, and ritual. It emerged among enslaved Africans in Brazil as a form of resistance and cultural survival, later evolving into a complex and deeply symbolic practice that carries histories of struggle, resilience, and identity. More than a performance, capoeira functions as a dialogue between bodies, structured by rhythm, improvisation, and constant exchange.

At the heart of this practice is ginga, the foundational movement that structures the flow of capoeira. It is a continuous, rhythmic motion that embodies adaptability, awareness, and readiness. Beyond its physical form, ginga reflects a broader way of moving through uncertainty—within the roda, the circular space where capoeira is played, and beyond it in everyday life.

Through film, this series seeks to reflect capoeira as a living cultural system that continues to transmit Afro-Brazilian memory, identity, and community across generations in contemporary Bahia.