Hello, people
Sorry about my english (I'm brazilian).
"Capoeira" is not a untranslatable term, it means "low grass" in Tupi, a native south america language. The term came from the fact that the capoeira was played (that's it, we say "jogo de capoeira", that means "capoeira game" or "capoeira movement" and we say "jogar capoeira", that means "to play capoeria" instead "lutar capoeira", that means "to fight capoeira") in a very low posture because the slaves used to train after the work in the "senzala" (slave prison) that used to have a very low roof, you just coudn't to stay erect in there.
Later, in the 20th century, the capoeira developed to a more acrobatic dance/fight/game (what ever you want). Here in Brazil we have two main styles of capoeira, "Regional" and "Angola". "Angola" is the older, and it is said that it was brought from Ćfrica (as the name says) and it's said that that style is more a dance than a fighting style, it is played very slowly, almost like a Tai chi Chuan, and very elegantly, demonstrating control and body conscious. "Regional" is newer than "Angola" and is more like a fighting style (high jumps and killer kicks), is very beatiful to watch a "jogo numa roda de capeira regional" (the game (movements) in a capoeira circle (kind of a improvised dojo, made by people surrounding the players/fighter/capoeras)). The two players kicks very, very fast, jump very highly performing mortals, back-flips and impossible contorsions until some other person in the "roda de capoeira" ask for the game (literal translation of "pedir o jogo", that means, to sign that he is about to substitute some fighter/player in the fight/game). All that happening at the sound of "pandeiro" (brazilian tambourine) and the "berimbau" (a kind of a bow with a resonance box atached to it, very weird for foreigners, indeed).
Ah, the music. The music on capoeira is 80% of the art. The music tells the rhythm of the fight, a very briliant didactic from our art ( I'm not a capoeira player, I study bujinkan budo taijutsu, I'm just talking as a brazilian). You see, to fight is something very similar to the dance, you need rhythm, some times your rhythm and some times the opponent rhythm. You need to understand the rhythm of the fight in order to reach victory, read the "tao of jeet kune do" for example and you will see what I trying to say.
In resume, capoeira is a fighting system and a dance style. But, more important than anything, capoeira is a very beatiful cultural aspect of my country. You must come, enjoy our sun, our beaches and mountains, our happy people, our nature and to watch a trully "roda de capoeira" (capoeira circle) at the street in a sunny weekend, having a cold beer and betwen your friends to understand how beautiful the capoeria is. Be my guest.
Ninpo Ikkan
Gustavo
artyon: 
