Our Vision
We believe that training Capoeira greatly improves the lives of all who train it. Through participating in our community, our students not only improve their own lives, but help to improve the lives of those within our community. Every member of our group brings their own individual energy and skillset, making each person important to the growth of our community. We aim to hone each student’s strengths through individual attention, and to challenge them to push past their current physical and mental limitations. Capoeira is more than working out and singing, though. Capoeira incorporates a rich culture from Brazil through movements, songs, and traditions that we honor and that promotes cultural awareness and unity. Capoeira’s diversity allows everyone to come in with something they are interested in or good at while also giving everyone many things to work on. Our goal is to ignite passion in our students so that they become enthusiastic about taking responsibility for their own learning. In doing so, students can take their own learning to the next level, whether that be through acrobatics, kicks, music, or culture.
Our Mestre
Nasr ‘Versátil’ Ismail has over forty years of experience in the martial arts and thirty years in Capoeira. As a Mestre of Capoeira, Versátil is one of a handful of people to have reached this rank in the United States and is one of the most experienced American born practitioners of the art. Versátil regularly teaches in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas of Southern California. He also travels often to teach throughout the USA, Mexico, Croatia, Lebanon, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Versátil is known for his detailed yet motivating teaching style and knowledge of the seemingly disparate aspects of dance and combat. Versátil also holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology and has developed a suite of Capoeira, Martial Arts, and Movement based therapies called The Warrior Class. Within these modalities, Versátil works with youth in addiction, young adults with developmental differences, couples and individual clients, as well as Transformational Justice, Community Accountability and Repair within Capoeira, as well as other movement and cultural communities. This work in community and individual well being informs Versátil’s work in Capoeira, centering around the tenet that Capoeira itself Is a method for Community Well Being, and should be regarded thusly, with mindfulness and professionalism.
Being a member of Capoeira Batuque, Versátil and his students are participating in a tradition of Capoeira first brought to Southern California by Mestre Amen Santo, from the teaching of the legendary Mestre Waldemar da Paixão. This tradition and reaches back to the legendary Besouro Mangangá
Our Instructor
Guerreiro is our head instructor and school leader. He trains under the instruction and supervision of Mestre Versatil.
Guerreiro began training martial arts in 1996 then began training Capoeira in October 2000 under the instruction of Rosa and Cravo. A few short years later, Rosa and Cravo moved out of state and Guerreiro (only a teenager) was left to train mostly in isolation.
As he got older he traveled as a dancer/choreographer and a musician, often teaching capoeira to his backup dancers as a way to stay sharp on his skills. He took capoeira workshops from respected Capoeira teachers and Masters around Brazil and the USA.
In 2013, Guerreiro began training with a former capoeira classmate and long time friend, Instrutor Pulo, who ran Nova Luta Capoeira. In 2015 Guerreiro was advanced in rank in San Antonio, TX (his first advancement in over a decade). Later that year Guerreiro was asked to begin instructing the Minnesota group. He founded Capoeira Minnesota in October of that year.
In March of 2016 Guerreiro was promoted to the rank of Graduado (Graduate) in the presence of Grão Mestre Dunga. In October of 2019, Guerreiro accepted the rank of Instrutor, after having declined the offer in 2018. Awarded this rank by members of the capoeira community around the USA. In 2022, Guerreiro was promoted to the rank of Professor by Mestre Besouro Preto, Mestre Gaivota, and Mestre Versatil; with the blessing from Mestre Acordeon.
Today, Guerreiro teaches capoeira throughout the twin cities, St Paul and Minneapolis, and surrounding cities including Eagan, West St Paul, East St Paul, Woodbury, Maplewood, Apple Valley, Burnsville, Hopkins, Oakdale, Forest Lake, Inver Grove Heights, Roseville, Shakopee, Mendota Heights, Edina, and Eden Prairie.
Volunteer Student Instructors
Head Portuguese Instructor
One of the reasons Treinador started training with Capoeira Minnesota in 2018 was to maintain the Portuguese he learned during graduate school in Spanish linguistics. Another reason was to get in shape. He has been able to do both! He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and is a professor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. As our volunteer Portuguese instructor he loves teaching weekly lessons to our youth and adults. Another one of his passions is basketball, which is, in part, why he was given his capoeira nickname. At the time he received it, he was the volunteer head basketball coach for his daughter’s team. Come train with us at Capoeira Minnesota, where not only can you learn Brazilian Portuguese, but the corporal language of capoeira as well!