Maculelê (stick dance)

Maculele, a stick fighting dance from Santo Amaro, was introduced to a wider audience by Viva Bahia, a capoeira theater group founded in 1963.

[1] Viva Bahia's founder, Emília Biancardi, had researched Bahian folklore for many years and integrated maculele into her group's performances.

[1] The German painter Rugendas observed African slaves stick fighting during the 1820s in Brazil: It is also necessary to mention a sort of military dance: two troops armed with poles stand in front of each other, and the skill consists for each to avoid the thrusts that the adversary strikes at him.

Each person brandishes a pair of long sticks, traditionally made from biriba, canzi, or pitia wood from Brazil.

Maculelê has steps similar to many other Brazilian dances such as "frevo" from Pernambuco, "Moçambique" from São Paulo, "Cana-verde" from Vassouras-RJ, "Bate-pau" from Mato Grosso, "Tudundun" from Pará among others.