Mestre Cafu

(Texas’ First Master of Capoeira Regional) 

Mestre Cafu, born and raised in Brazil, began practicing capoeira at the age of six.  Due to his natural talent for the art, he was teaching by the time he was 15 years old.  He played a major role in establishing the capoeira groups, Roots of Brazil and ABADA Capoeira.

At the age of 18 he was invited by San Francisco State University to teach workshops.  At that time he also toured the U.S. performing with various companies.  For the last 9 years he has been teaching classes and workshops throughout the United States, including New York, California, Hawaii and Texas.

In the U.S. he began teaching capoeira at a dance academy in Santa Cruz, CA.  He then moved on to Hawaii, where he was the pioneer of capoeira.  He developed a large group in Maui, where he taught for 3 years at Old Man High.  He also taught youth classes at Iao Elementary School, Earth Guardian School and Makawao Montessori School.  He then relocated back to California, where he taught in Santa Rosa, Marin, and San Francisco.  

Recently, he traveled back to Brazil to reconnect with the roots of capoeira.  While there, he taught classes and gave lectures at capoeira conferences.
It was an honored farewell when Mestre Pombo de Ouro, Mestre Onça Tigre, and Jota Bamberg (Mestre Angoleiro), who were original students of Mestre Bimba graduated him to the level of Master of Capoeira.

Mestre Onça Tigre gives Mestre Cafu his belt

Mestre Cafu has now relocated to Houston, Texas where he is developing his own group, Grupo Cafu Capoeira Association for the Preservation of Afro-Brazilian Culture.

To see Mestre Cafu perform is to see a powerful, joyful, cultural expression born from hundreds of years of suffering.

He is a consummate artist and athlete with a signature style that is constantly developing.
His goal is to use Capoeira as a tool to reach at-risk youth and to create a positive environment for them to succeed. He is a positive role model who encourages a healthy lifestyle. He is also a dedicated mestre who wants to share the rich history of capoeira and to preserve its powerful tradition within a contemporary context.