Capoeira games and Toques
Toques are the rhythms played with the berimbau. Whereas slow rhythms govern a slow and emotional jogo, fast rhythms impel the capoeiristas to energetic and fierce jogos. The songs also differ from each other and should be adjusted to the corresponding game. There exist some classical toques, i.e. after Bimba, but also toques developed as time passed and many group oriented variations. Basically it is differentiated between following toques/games:

 

Caxixi – movement with rattle
tsch tsch - Cabaça is closed on stomach and the stone is held lightly to the wire, so that a jarring is heard.
ding - Cabaça is open, strike with stone pressed firmly to wire.
dong - Cabaça is open, simple strike without stone pressed to wire.
stop - strike without stone and press stone to wire immediately afterwards, so the vibration is absorbed.

 

 

Angola:

Angola is a very slow game. Accordingly the singing and jogo are very slow. The capoeiristas play as close to the ground as possible and are nevertheless alert to sudden attacks by their opponent (malícia). Posture and movement are not the same as in other jogos (i.e. jogo regional) and slow acrobatics appear to a limited degree. Amongst others, this jogo has chamadas (short in-between dances) which are not seen in any other jogo! The rules of the roda are much more traditional: for example the opponent’s clothes may not be touched with the palms. It is also prohibited to ‘buy’ a capoeirista during a jogo because two new capoeiristas meet at the foot of the berimbau for a new jogo.
Toque de Angola (Gunga)
Toque de Sao Bento Pequeno de Angola (Media)
Toque de Sao Bento Grande de Angola (Viola)

 

 

Regional:

This is the most common jogo, where everything is allowed. One shows strength, flexibility, and endurance. Throws and rasteiras are as much a part of it as kicks and acrobatics, underlined by malícia and fast attacks. It is a jogo with adequate toughness which can sometimes be quite aggressive.
Toque de Sao Bento Grande de Bimba (Regional)
Toque de Sao Bento Grande

 

 

Benguela:

Benguela is a mix between angola and regional style, neither too much nor too little at ground level. The velocity is also moderate. The goal is to not impair the game’s fluency by using nice rounded movements and little ginga. The capoeiristas play close together and show nice, continuous interaction.
Toque de Benguela

 

 

Iuna:

Iuna is a jogo only for graduated alunos, professores (teachers), and mestres (masters). The point is to show what you are capable of doing in a roda and the entrances are always some acrobatic movement. There is no singing or clapping during an iuna jogo and only one berimbau plays the typical rhythm, accompanied by two pandeiros.

 
Toque de Iuna

 

 

Cavalaria:

Cavalaria is a rhythm played only when the police who were on horse came close. It was a warning to a time when capoeira was still forbidden.

 
Toque de Cavalaria

 

 

Amazonas:

Amazonas is a toque played to welcome the arrival of mestres and other guests.

 
Toque de Amazonas:

 

 

Santa Maria:

Santa Maria is a jogo in which a piece of paper (money) lying in the center of the roda is picked up with the mouth during the game. The players will of course try to hinder the other at achieving this as the winner gets to keep the money.
Toque de Santa Maria

 

 

Idalina:

The idalina rhythm was played to a seldom played game in which the capoeiristas held razorblades between their toes and attacked one another.

 
Toque de Idalina

 

 

Miudinho:

Miudinho was developed by Mestre Suassuna (Cordão de Ouro) and seems to be a fast Angola game. The point is to interact closely with the opponent.

Mestre Suassuna: "The game of miudinho is generating controversy because it is being misinterpreted. People are thinking it's a new capoeira, and it's nothing like that. I simply rescued an older capoeira, modernized the manner of playing it, changed the sequences... the name miudinho arose because I was observing that capoeiristas were playing very distant from each other and in our time we played very close; thus, I said to people, 'I want the game more minute, closer, play very tiny.' Then, I created a toque on the berimbau. Miudinho is not a new capoeira, it's a different manner to display capoeira. Just like the games of Iuna and São Bento Grande exist, the game of miudinho exists."