Music is an integral part of Capoeira. The Capoeira ‘orchestra’ led by the berimbau, dictates the style and intensity of the game. The atabaque (drum) is the heartbeat of the roda and the pandeiro (tambourine) and provides the accents. The participants that make up the roda, form the chorus – clapping their hands to the rhythm of the berimbau and echoing the lines of the Capoeira songs that are lead by a single Capoeirista. The songs of Capoeira can be fun, serious or sad, but all will speak to the history of this art and, through the poetic Portuguese language, celebrate the rich culture of Capoeira.