Mestre Cafu has been practicing capoeira his whole life.
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 ABADA Capoeira and Roots of Brazil.
At the age of 18 he was invited by San Francisco State University to teach various workshops. At that time he also toured the U.S. performing with different Dance companies. 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. For the last 24 years he has been teaching classes and workshops throughout the United States and building G.C.C.A, with groups in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Texas.
Mestre Cafu is a Master of capoeira.
In 1999 he traveled back to Brazil to reconnect with the roots of capoeira. Three of Mestre Bimba’s original students: Mestre Pombo de Ouro, Mestre Onça Tigre and Jota Bamberg (Mestre Angoleiro), graduated Mestre Cafu to the level of Master of Capoeira.
Mestre Cafu has now relocated to San Francisco, where he continues to develop 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.
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.
