VAMOS APRENDER CAPOEIRA!
LET’S LEARN CAPOEIRA!
MARTIAL ARTS. ACROBATICS. MUSIC & DANCE
Key Details
Fridays from September 5 – December 19, 2025
No classes on September 19th, October 31st, November 28
Location: Circus Center – 755 Frederick Street. SF, CA 94103 (bottom level of building)
Jr. Capoeira (Grades 2nd – 5th)
4:30pm – 5:30pm
$335
Teen Capoeira Club (Grades 6th and up)
This class is for returning students or by invite only. Please reach out to Coach Jarrel if you are interested in order to get your child involved.
5:30pm – 7:00pm
$400
Financial Aid
If you would like to pay in installments, or, if you are in need of financial support/discount please reach out.
Contact
[email protected]
415-350-2222 (text is best if unavailable for a phone call)
Program Description
Through the Afro-Brazilian cultural art known as Capoeira, students are introduced to martial arts, acrobatics, music and dance in a fun, relaxed community and play-based environment. Skills include self-defense, acrobatics, rhythm, coordination, music (songs in Brazilian Portuguese + percussion), and dance.
*Annual Belt Ceremony: Each Spring we have our annual Capoeira belt ceremony for all active students who have been training. Students receive a uniform, belt, and a capoeira nickname! Details to come in the new year!
Classroom Policy on Parental Attendance
To support your child’s growth and independence, all of our youth classes follow a “no parents in the classroom” policy during instruction time. This is part of our developmental approach and helps create a focused, engaging environment where children can build confidence, connect with peers, and respond fully to their instructor.
Parents are welcome to wait in the bleachers or leave the building during class. You’re warmly invited back for the final presentation on the last class at the end of the session to celebrate your child’s progress.
Thank you for your support!
Takeaways
- Martial Arts: kicks, sweeps, takedowns, counters, blocks, dodging, footwork)
- Acrobatics: Cartwheels, backbends, headstands, handstands, and more!
- Music: Drum, rhythm, and song
- Artisanal crafts: belt making, instrument making, costume design
- Educational: African and Brazilian history and culture
- Theatrical: Performance routines and choreography
- Developmental: Creative outlet for growth, exploration, self-discipline, and therapeutic functions
- Community Education: Cultural awareness, Leadership skills, Character development, Relationship Building
About the Instructor
Coach Jarrel a.k.a Contramestre Chumninho
- A in Child & Adolescent Development: Youth Work & Out of School Time
- A in East West Psychology
- 24+ years of youth work experience from SF – East Africa
Jarrel Phillips, a.k.a Contra-mestre Chumbinho is an Sf native with a movement background that includes capoeira, gymnastics, circus acrobatics, and dance. He has been working with youth through movement for 24+ years in the SF Bay Area and he has a bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development and a masters degree in psychology. Phillips’s movement practice has been under the guidance of world renowned teachers including Dominik Wyss (lead acrobat coach at Circus Center), Joanna Haigood (Zaccho Dance Theater’s artistic director and founder), & Mestre Urubu Malandro (founder of Capoeira Ijexa). His expertise has granted him opportunities to perform for SF Carnaval, Sf Jazz, The Edwardian Ball, and he has also been a featured artist in a film for SFMOMA. Phillips also currently teaches all over the city of SF at various institutions including private and public schools, San Francisco Public Library, Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, and Circus Center. In the past Phillips was the head coach of AcroSports for 5 years, where he taught capoeira, gymnastics and tumbling. He was also the lead acrobatics instructor for Prescott Circus and Zaccho Dance Theatre from 2014-2016.
You can check out these short films to get a better idea about Jarrel, his work, and community.
