What does Bantus Mean?
The name Bantus refers to a broad African ethnic group, the Bantu people, who shared a similar language root and occupied two thirds of West Africa (Angola, Guinea, Congo, Mozambique etc). The term Bantu refers to over 400 different ethnic groups from the West African region. –NTU means “human” and BA- indicates a plural, put together it means “people”.
Grupo Bantus Capoeira Australia
Coming Soon.
Every year the group holds a “World Meet” capoeira cultural exchange with our fellow members at their academies. In 2005 we travelled to Malaysia, and in 2006 we made the long trip to our headquarters in BH, Brazil for the 15th Anniversary of Bantus Capoeira. It was an unforgettable journey where we had the fortune to meet many famous masters including Mestre Pintor, Mestre Escamoso, Mestre Sena, Mestre Jaime do Mar Grande, Mestre Ciro, Mestre Tamandua, Mestre João, and the great Mestre João Pequeno, and instructors and students of capoeira from around the world. The week-long festival consisted of capoeira games, workshops, lectures, and presentations of all aspects of Afro-Brazilian culture and dance!
In 2007 the Wolrd Meet was held here in Perth to celebrate 10 years of GBC Australia. The event was an unforgettable experience mixing with Bantulinos from Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Holland, Germany, and Brazil. Our members were able to meet Mestre Pintor, Mestre Escamoso, and other head instructors from around the world. They took part in workshops, a capoeira competition, and made new lifelong friendships.
In November 2008 the World Meet Bantus Capoeira will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Grupo Bantus Capoeira
The Grupo Bantus Capoeira was founded by Mestre Pintor in 1991 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Mestre Pintor has almost 40 years experience in capoeira, and was taught by the world famous Mestre João Pequeno. Bantus Capoeira now has branches across Brazil and in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Israel, and Holland. At Bantus Capoeira we play the Angola, Regional, and Contemporânea styles of capoeira. We also practice Samba, Maculelê, Puxada de Rede, Dança Afro and Forró, all forms of Brazilian dance.
Who is Mestre Pintor?
Paulo Cesar Leite dos Santos, or Mestre Pintor as he is known within Capoeira circles, is the master of Grupo Bantus Capoeira in Brazil. He started playing around with Capoeira on the streets as a teenager. Later on he trained in Belo Horizonte and then Bahia with various masters, chasing after knowledge of Capoeira, before coming to rest in the academy of Mestre Joao Pequeno of Pastinha in Salvador, Bahia. He graduated as a master in 1989 with the group of Macaco at the Escola de Educacao Fisica in Belo Horizonte, and after a few more years training with Mestre Joao Pequeno also graduated as a master of Capoeira Angola.
Who is the teacher in Australia?
Coming Soon.