Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Santa Cruz

Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Santa Cruz offers capoeira classes that include movement, music, cultural foundations, and martial arts training. Classes take place in a respectful, multigenerational environment and are open to all levels. The program is part of a school that gathers to play music, build community, and share the joy of capoeira, which combines dance, acrobatics, and music.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Kids classes for ages 8–13 meet Monday and Wednesday from 5–6pm, and classes for ages 5–7 meet Tuesday and Thursday from 5–6pm, with additional adult class options offered midday and in the evenings Monday through Saturday.

Raízes do Brasil Capoeira Santa Cruz was founded in 1992 by Mestre Papiba as the first U.S. branch of the Raízes do Brasil group, which was originally established in Brasília. In 1982, Mestre Ralil founded Centro Cultural de Capoeira Raízes do Brasil in Brasília, Brazil, and he is the head of Raízes do Brasil International. Classes are led by a team of experienced instructors. The school’s mission states that it carries forward the traditions of capoeira with care and respect, is open to all levels, and is rooted in community and grounded in the values that capoeira teaches: discipline, joy, and mutual respect.

Mestre Ralil participates in social outreach projects in partnership with city, state, and federal governments, including a capoeira project of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency that aims to teach citizenship values and raise awareness among young people through capoeira. Mestre Papiba has been teaching capoeira in public elementary schools in the Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and Pajaro Valley school districts for the past 20 years and has taken part in many arts enrichment programs and after-school offerings such as CKC.

Last updated May 24, 2026.