Home | Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Santa Cruz

Welcome.
Bem-vindos.

Discover the art of capoeira in Santa Cruz. Join us to explore this unique martial art form that combines dance, acrobatics, and music, offering an approach to physical and mental well-being that involves cultural arts, community and fun!

🌿 February Beginner Capoeira Series — Santa Cruz 🌿
Curious about capoeira but never tried it? This is your perfect start.
Join us for a 4-week Beginners Series made for absolute beginners — no experience needed, no pressure, just a supportive space to learn fundamentals, move your body, and get a taste of capoeira.
✅ 4 Mondays in February
🕢 7:30–8:30pm
👣 For people who have never done capoeira before
✨ Learn basic movements, simple sequences, music & culture
🤝 Friendly group vibe + community
Come as you are — and leave feeling stronger, more confident, and connected.
📩 DM “FEBRUARY” to save your spot + get the details

🥁 Back by Popular Demand! 🥁

Our Afro Brazilian Drum Workshop with Abel Damasceno is returning for another round of rhythm, movement, and pure Brazilian energy! 🇧🇷

Whether you joined us last time and want to take a deeper dive, or you missed out and have been waiting for another chance—this is it!

🗓 Tuesday, August 12
🕢 7:30–9 PM
📍 Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Studio — 207 McPherson St, Santa Cruz
💵 $30

Get ready to feel the beat, move your body, and connect through the power of music. All levels welcome—just bring your energy and let’s make some magic!

#AfroBrazilianDrumming #BackByPopularDemand #SantaCruzEvents #BrazilianRhythms #AbelDamasceno #DrumWorkshop #RaizesDoBrasil #SantaCruzCapoeira

🔥 The beat is BACK! 🔥
Our last Afro Brazilian Drum Workshop with Abel Damasceno was such a hit, we had to bring it back! Whether you missed it last time or you’re ready to dive deeper—this one’s for YOU. 🥁🇧🇷
🗓️ Tuesday, August 5
🕢 7:30–9 PM
📍 Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Studio — 207 McPherson St, Santa Cruz
💵 $30
Get ready to move, groove, and feel the rhythm of Brazil!
✨ All levels welcome – come feel the energy!
#AfroBrazilianDrumming #SantaCruzEvents #RaizesDoBrasil #AbelDamasceno #BrazilianRhythms #CapoeiraCommunity #DrumWorkshop #SantaCruzCapoeira

It’s that time of year again! So excited that @mestreralil.oficial will be here leading workshops and overseeing our 2025 Batizado 💓🙏🏽 Workshop times to be posted!

33 years teaching in Santa Cruz and so grateful for the love and support this community has given us. It has been such a privilege to live in a town that has so many opportunities to share our work with so many people. Looking forward to dance week!!! We will be dancing in the streets on Thursday, April 17th + surprise dance in unusual places sometime between April 18-20th (more info to come). Come try out a class with us too when you purchase an all-access pass through SCDanceweek.com Stay tuned for days and times!

Fun classes for kiddos!! Tuesday & Thursdays for the young ones (ages 5-7) with Instrutora Tigresa & Contremestre Quati. Mondays & Wednesdays for the bigger kids (ages 8-12) with Mestre Papiba. Classes at 5-6pm. First class FREE! First 2 classes free if you bring a friend. Teens are welcome in the adults classes!

Love being in Santa Cruz… and also kinda counting the days until dancing in the streets!

Winter is getting cold!❄️🥶 Come warm up with some capoeira😉 Adult classes Monday at noon-1:30pm, Monday-Thursday 6-7:30pm and Saturday 10:30am-noon

Minha esposa @Melanie Godinho jogando com o meu querido amigo Aldo De Bahia! @melibelli_sc @aldo_di_bahia @papiba

Thank you community for all the great capoeira we play together!

Thank you to everyone who participated and attended Brazil Fest 2024! To all the Raízes students who loaded up, set up, ran things and packed it all back up at the end. Also to the students of Raízes and @sambasouldancecompany who practiced so diligently for their performances 😄 extra thanks to @flavorsofbrasil for making the journey from the Bay Area to share your tasty treats! Thanks to the businesses who donated to our raffle and helped to support this event @adevoslifestyle @cotton_candy_kid @olachicasc @daffodilandhoney @greatinfusions @sambarockacaicafe @amlingdesigns AND @papibaandfriends for the great music all day long🎶🥰 And as always, an ENORMOUS thanks to @woodhousebrews for hosting and helping us make this happen!🥰🥰🥰 Thank you @papiba @gisellasamba @melibelli_sc for organizing 😉

Mestre Tico Moraes vai puxar um treino na nossa academia esse Sábado às 10:30 da manhã. Vamo que vamo!

This week! Workshops all week long + Batizado on Sunday May 5!!
Also catch us @moesalley on May 4 for our performance with @sambadamusic !

Thank you @scdanceweek 🙏🏽🎉🥰 Best night in SC all year!🥰🥰🥰 It was so great to see all the dancing groups downtown. Thank you to the folks who came to check out our classes this week. We had a great time with you!

Getting excited for our 2024 Batizado!!!! Coming May 5th!!!

Thank you @woodhousebrews for hosting us!!! We had a blast at our 2024 Batizado fundraiser! Shout out to all our bakers who made treats for the bake sale, and to all of you who walked around selling them all night! You guys are the best!!🥰🥰🥰

Hey Santa Cruz! Come enjoy some Brazilian vibes @woodhousebrews with @sampabraziliankitchen and Live Brazilian Music! This is a fundraiser event for our 2024 graduation!! Part of the proceeds will be given to our group to support both teachers and students participate in this annual event. Please spread the word!!

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Annual Roots of Brazil BRAZILIAN DAY celebration!!🙏🏽🥰 Enormous gratitude to the performers who shared their arts with us, the vendors who supported this group effort, to @woodhousebrews for being the hosts with the most, to @sampabraziliankitchen for their delicious eats and support. Also big thanks to organizers @papiba @gisellasamba @melibelli_sc and to all the student and capoeiristas who came from near and far and helped cart in all the instruments, gear and take charge of the craft table and tshirt sales. We still have some shirts left! DM if you are interested!

Reportagem na televisão portuguesa sobre o projeto em São Tomé

It’s that time of year again!!Coming up on Sunday, May 7!! Can’t wait to see you all!!🥰🥰🥰

Get ready!! Batizado & encontro @gui_quati #montereycapoeira
March 17-19🎉 Friday and Saturday will host workshops and rodas leading up to Sunday’s Batizado!! Please spread the word and come support some amazing guest teachers and the hardworking students in Monterey.

Hey all! Special guest teacher on Thursday, December 22! 6:00-7:30pm

#brazilianday Celebration @woodhousebrews with crazy good brazilian eats by @sampabrazilianfood FUN & FREE sample classes of capoeira and brazilian drumming!! + #forro and #papibaandfriends

So much fun this week with our extended capoeira family!! We couldn’t stop… so after last night’s workshop the fun continued into the parking lot!😄

Hey Santa Cruz!!! We are so excited to be participating in #dancinginthestreets @scdanceweek this is one our favorite events in #santacruz all year! We love to see all the other movers and shakers from all over town performing for each other and you all. We have 2 times! Come check us out on stage 3/Cooper street with some Maculelê and our amazing kiddos group! Our SECOND performance will be at 8pm at stage 3/Pacific & Church street maculelê & our adults capoeira group!

#santacruzdanceweek OPEN CLASSES!
If you buy an open classes pass, for $15 you have access to amazing classes throughout Santa Cruz this week! And what a deal! Classes are usually $15+ per class! If you snag your pass, come check us out on the westside! We have capoeira class tonight at 6pm and tomorrow a Samba Basics class at 7:30 with @gisellasamba

Huge shout out to the organizers of @scdanceweek they organize and put together this huge event, no small task! And it’s our favorite event in Santa Cruz of the whole year!!

Hey capoeiristas! What’s the best cross-training for capoeira?🤔 Samba!! Gisella, who has been teaching at the academy, is adding a “Samba Basics” class on Tuesdays at 7:30pm. It’s only an hour long! Great for folks who have never tried to samba, or those who just want to fine tune😉 Come try out a class! Bring a friend! Fun guaranteed!🎉

Wonderful Wednesday evening with our favorite peeps! Welcoming home @iranmr and Folha Seca! Great class & roda!!💓

So wonderful to celebrate our 2021 Batizado with our beloved capoeira community. Thank you to all the students and community members who tirelessly supported our group through the pandemic, showed up to train on Zoom, and outside in the cold & sometimes dark. Thanks for doing your part to wear masks for a year and then get Vaccinated so we could all train safely. #capoeiralife

Lots of space for playing today! Batizado 2021! 3:00! Here we go!!

Yay! So excited to play at #woodhouseblendingandbrewing again this Friday! Come check out this great place with the tastiest beer and awesome brazilian food by #sampakitchensc

Save the date! Our 2021 Batizado is around the corner. Sunday, May 16th at 1pm. Outdoor Batizado and a chance to celebrate with our community.
We are going to keep this on the small side, just to be safe!
•Fun workshops!
•Batizado
•& BBQ
•Please wear your mask!
•Social distance!
•Bring your own water bottle. Let's keep trying to cut down on the plastic!
•We will have other drinks for sale at the event
More details to follow~ https://fb.me/e/PFIyeuuz

It's time for our monthly “RAIZES” THE RENT event! This fundraiser will take place outside our building in the parking lot.
Workshops start at 10:30am!
• CAPOEIRA
• MACULELÊ
• ZUMBA w/Allison and Renee
• AFRO SAMBA w/Dandha
AND!
LIVE music by SAMBADÁ!!
Music starts around 2ish
This event is FREE for our members!
Non-members, we welcome you too and hope that you will become a supporting member as well!
We have the deepest gratitude for our community who have helped us keep this community center open and alive during the pandemic. We are so excited to open our doors and welcome you all back in again when the world opens back up.
___________________________
Ways to support Raízes do Brasil Capoeira & Community Center during Covid-19
DONATE ANY AMOUNT! (PayPal)
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=QMG85B5BTPTZE
MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION: (PayPal):
https://santacruzcapoeira.com
GOFUNDME:
https://gf.me/u/y365hv #supportsmallbusiness #supportculturalarts #capoeirabayarea #santa ruzcapoeira #afrosamba #zumba

If you are free this Saturday we are holding a Raíze (raise) the rent fundraiser in the parking lot of 207 McPhereson street. Capoeira, samba and live tunes with “Papiba and Friends”! WEAR A MASK! 😷🥰 #supportsmallbusiness #capoeirainthetimeofcovid #communitylove

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About Our School

Our Mission

At Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Santa Cruz, we carry forward the traditions of Capoeira with care and respect. Our school is a place to train, connect, and grow - open to all levels, rooted in community, and grounded in the values that Capoeira teaches: discipline, joy, and mutual respect.

Our experienced instructors teach the fundamentals of Capoeira with attention to movement, music, and tradition. Classes focus on discipline, creativity, and connection. Beyond training, we gather to play music, build community, and share the joy of Capoeira.

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