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Batuque is a Brazilian game played in Bahia in the early part of the twentieth century but now extinct. A similar game, pernada, was popular in Rio de Janeiro about the same time. Players stand in a circle; one player stands in the center in a defensive position, and another moves around him, suddenly attacking. The attacking player tries to throw the defending player to the ground with blows from his legs. Mestre Bimba's father was a champion of batuque, and research seems to indicate that Mestre Bimba incorporated some techniques into his Capoeira Regional courses.
For further details, see Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game, by Nestor Capoeira, ISBN 1-55643-404-9.
Batuque is also an old name for Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion (an Orisha cult). In Rio Grande do Sul State, in Brazil, it is still practiced by this name.
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