Maculele Workshop - with Mestre Carlinos

The true origins of Maculelê are as mysterious and unknown as those of Capoeira. Some stories tell of Maculelê developing from the African slaves who worked the sugarcane fields in the area of Bahia. The sticks used in Maculelê represent their machetes (facaos) and suggestions are that they would practice the form to pass time and vent frustration with their slave masters. The more popular story tells of a man left in the village alone to defend the women, children and elderly. In honour of his success the dance was named after him. This legend goes so far as to suggest the village was in Nigeria, Africa and that it wasnt just one man, but 22. As with Capoeira, what you believe is up to you and your discoveries!
Maculelê is similar to some dances of the indigenous people of Brazil with some possible mixing of African and indigenous cultures to create the movements of Maculelê, however the music and songs are mostly African, (sung in Yoruba) and Portuguese. The survival of modern Maculelê is accredited to Mestre Popo do Maculelê, in the city of Santo Amaro who first used the movements of this near-forgotten dance in the street, with a friend to attract the attention of women. Then, he gathered family and friends in 1943 in order to teach them Maculelê based on his memory. Mestre Popo is now considered by most to be the father of Maculelê in Brazil and Santo Amaro and the Nossa Senhora de Purificacao (Our Lady of Purification) festival the home.

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