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If Cities Could Dance
Follow a Capoeirista’s Journey From the Bay Area to Brazil
Season 5
Episode 10
Ricky "Malandro" Lawson II has practiced capoeira for 25 years, traveling often to its birthplace, Salvador, Bahia, to better understand the art form’s origins, and experience the deep ancestral energy in the most African city outside of the continent. Malandro returns to share how capoeira was birthed, efforts to ban it, and the legacy of Mestre Bimba, who brought it back from near extinction.
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6:42
Hula instructor Snowbird Puananiopaokalani Bento teaches the story behind hula dance.

6:33
LA Black skaters push the culture forward amidst a pandemic and economic downturn.

8:33
Originators of Oakland's 1970s funk boogaloo reflect on the birth and impact of the dance

6:55
Dancer Amit Patel is reinventing Bollywood dance for queer expression

5:12
The Dance Champz of Atlanta want to take this underground LGBTQ+ dance to the next level.

5:58
Once known as La-la, Zydeco dance and music thrives in Houston

6:03
Albuquerque’s hip-hop & freestyle dance scene is influenced by various Indigenous tribes

4:02
Sixteen dancers from across the country, representing a range of dance styles, move as one

6:34
Sisters Mar and Maria Cruz are preserving the legacy of this dance of resistance.

5:59
The women of La Mezcla call on the history of percussive dance to create their own style.

6:56
Beat Ya Feet is the street dance empowering a new generation of Black D.C.

2:56
The contemporary dance company shapes feminist messages into sensual moves.