Capoeira
An Afro-Brazilian Martial Art
CAPOEIRA
A FIGHT LIKE DANCE, A DANCE LIKE FIGHT
- MESTRE ACORDEON
It is Afro-Brazilian in its roots. Born from a people who needed to move in ways that could not be taken from them. Part martial art, part game, part music, part ritual. Those categories do not fully contain it. They never have.
In the roda, two practitioners enter into a conversation through movement. There is no script. No choreography. What unfolds is a live negotiation of space, timing, deception, and presence. You learn to read another person while staying honest about yourself. You learn that the body has its own intelligence and that developing it takes more than strength or technique.
Capoeira is also song. It is percussion. It is a culture passed between people over generations, carried in the body rather than written in books. To train capoeira seriously is to enter something larger than yourself.
It is one of the few practices in the world that asks for all of you. Physical, mental, musical, and emotional at the same time.
Lineage
MORE THAN CREDENTIALS
I am a Mestre in capoeira, the highest title within the culture. My lineage runs through the United Capoeira Association, under the guidance of world-renowned Mestre Acordeon, the late Mestre Rã, and Mestra Suelly.
This lineage is not a credential. It is an honor. It is communal recognition. It is a responsibility. To teach with integrity, to preserve what was passed to me, to evolve it where needed, and to pass it forward with care.
I have been in this practice for over two decades. It shaped everything that came after it, including the movement practice I teach today. Capoeira is where my roots live.
Mestre Acordeon · Mestre Rã · Mestra Suelly
Train & Play
TRAIN & PLAY CAPOEIRA WITH ME
Online — available anywhere
YouTube
Over 16,000 practitioners around the world have found their way to capoeira through this channel. What began during the pandemic as a resource for students has grown into a widely respected platform for conditioning and training — used by beginners and seasoned practitioners alike.
A new video series is coming. In the meantime, the existing library remains a genuine place to begin.
Visit My Channel @grilopretocapoeira
In-person — Denver
UCA Colorado
Classes for all levels, for adults and children. Regular rodas, cultural immersions, and an annual batizado. A community rooted in genuine practice of the art, not performance, not fitness, not trend.
If you are in Denver and want to train capoeira in person, this is where you come.
In-person — Globally
UCA Colorado
I travel often for batizados and other capoeira events. Often I’m giving workshops so you can possibly find me at an event near you.
Upcoming in April 2026:
Maple Valley Capoeira // Maple Valley, WA // April 24th – 25th
CAPOEIRA
Whether you begin online or step into the studio here the art is waiting.