What are chamadas?

Chamadas (meaning "calls") are ritual sub-games within the roda of capoeira angola. During a chamada, one player pauses and assumes a characteristic position that is understood to "invite" the other player to approach. There are several different types of chamadas; the player who initiates one may stand with one or both hands extended, either facing either towards or away from the other player (he may even invent a new position in order to test his partner). The player responding to the chamada typically does a few solo movements, then approaches the "calling" player cautiously and makes contact with him. The two walk back and forth a few steps together, until the chamada is broken by one of the two players attacking or by the player who initiated the chamada offering the "exit" to the other.

A common misunderstanding about chamadas is that they are performed in order to catch one's breath and take a break from the game. This is not true; quite the contrary. Chamadas are high-tension opportunities to test the other player's cleverness and lure him into a trap. As in the game of capoeira itself, there are "traditions" but no "rules" during chamadas. Either player may attack the other during the beginning, middle, or end of the chamada; thus, both players must be highly mentally alert and prepared for anything. Players sometimes call a chamada in order to underscore a point they've marked on the other player, calling them to demonstrate solo movements as if to say, "Show me that you're still physically able to continue playing after the way I just got you." Chamadas may also be used to re-set the tone of a game that is becoming too tangled or too aggressive.

The following illustrations by Mestre Pastinha show some players during chamadas: