Is capoeira related to breakdancing?

Capoeira and breakdancing contain similarities in their footwork, groundwork, and upside-down movements, leading some to theorize that capoeira gave birth to breakdancing. Capoeira arrived in New York City with Mestres Jelon Viera and Loremil Machado in the 1970s, around the time of breakdancing’s origin. However, Ken Swift, a dancer of the Rock Steady Crew who has been breaking since 1978, stated that he never saw capoeira until 1992. Instead, he and his friends took inspiration from kung-fu films and put their own personal flair into the movements.

Although capoeira and breakdancing may have influenced each other when practitioners of the arts met and exchanged movements, it seems more likely that breakdancing developed on its own rather than being born exclusively from capoeira. But the two are similar in that both represent a way that people living on the margins of society have used movement, music, and creativity to deal with their situation. For more information, read this article.