The other founders of Capoeira Brasil

Mestre Paulão

Mestre Paulão was born on 14 January 1961 in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará. He has practised Capoeira since the age of 14 and has taught it since 1978. In February 1994 he moved to the Netherlands to introduce the work of the Capoeira Brasil group and to begin developing it around the world. Since then, he has brought several professors to the Netherlands and to other European countries to continue developing Capoeira.

Mestre Paulao Ceara Capoeira Brasil
In 1994 he was voted best capoeirista and won the Brahma trophy. He has also given many Capoeira demonstrations, notably for Alceu Valença, Banda Reflexus, Olodum, Daniela Mercury and Kaoma. He organised the largest Capoeira congress in Brazil. He gives classes and shows in more than 14 Brazilian states, all over the Netherlands, in 22 cities in Germany and 12 in Belgium, in Switzerland, in London at the Contemporary Show of Dance London, in France in Marseille and Paris, and in New York in the United States. He has taken part in 3 documentaries for Dutch television, notably one about children in Capoeira and another on the history and roots of Capoeira for Verônica TV with Mestre Boneco.
Mestre Paulao Capoeira Brasil Hollande

Mestre Boneco

Mestre Boneco has practised Capoeira since 1973 and taught it since 1979. He is now 62 years old (in 2024). He trained for 15 years with the Senzala group, then decided to found the group with Mestres Paulinho Sabiá and Paulão. He received his black corda in 1989 in the presence of the greatest names in Capoeira. Since then he has been recognised as a mestre by his own group and by others.

Mestre Boneco Capoeira Brasil Los Angeles

In 1998 he moved to the United States. Today he oversees more than 50 instructors and runs projects in South America, the United States, Australia, Europe and Asia. In the United States, the Capoeira Brasil group is present in the 10 largest cities. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is the artistic director of Benção Brazil, a non-profit Brazilian cultural centre that hosts the Capoeira Brasil group.

He has been sponsored by CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, Univision news shows and Extra Hollywood, to name but a few. He has also trained many actors for films, such as Halle Berry for Catwoman and Wesley Snipes, as well as capoeiristas for commercials. As well as being director of the UCLA Capoeira programme in the Department of Recreation, he oversees Capoeira projects in many public and private schools in Los Angeles. His new programme, ALL ACCESS, aims to help disadvantaged teenagers. Mestre Boneco also teaches fitness classes and holds a degree in Physical Education from Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro.