At 7 p.m. on Thursdays, the concrete plaza outside Parque Águas Claras fills with the twang of berimbaus and the smell of sweat and rosin. This is where capoeira happens in Aguas Claras—not in a gym, but in public, as it was practiced for centuries. The neighborhood, built on the western edge of Brasília's planned sprawl, has become an unlikely hub for the art form thanks to its open public spaces and a tight-knit Brazilian community that has kept the tradition alive since the 1990s.
Whether you are a complete beginner trying your first ginga or an advanced player looking for a new roda, Aguas Claras offers training that goes beyond kicks and cartwheels. The schools here treat capoeira as it should be treated: as a living practice of music, history, and movement.
What to Know Before You Start
Most schools in Aguas Claras teach capoeira in Portuguese, though instructors generally explain movements in Portuguese and Portuguese-translated terms. You do not need to speak the language, but you will learn it passively—ginga, meia lua de frente, esquiva, axé.
Wear loose, comfortable pants and a plain white t-shirt for your first class. Some schools require the official uniform (abada) after the first month. Almost all offer a free or discounted trial class; call ahead to confirm.
Aguas Claras Capoeira Academy
Address: Avenida das Castanheiras, near Parque Águas Claras (Metro Águas Claras, 10-minute walk)
Head instructor: Mestre Damião, 25-year student of Grupo Senzala under Mestre Camisa in Rio de Janeiro
Schedule: Adult beginners Monday and Thursday, 7:30–9:30 p.m.; advanced students Tuesday and Friday, 8–10 p.m.
Trial policy: First class free; monthly fees around R$180–R$220
This academy operates out of a converted warehouse with high ceilings and a sprung wooden floor—rare for capoeira spaces in Brasília. Mestre Damião's lineage in Grupo Senzala shows in the school's disciplined approach to capoeira regional: fast, upright, with sharp kicks and precise escapes.
The academy's signature event is its monthly roda de rua, held on the last Saturday of each month in the plaza outside Parque Águas Claras. It draws regional capoeira groups from across Brasília and is open to observers. If you want to see how capoeira functions as community ritual before committing to a class, this is the place.
Rhythm of the Waters Capoeira Studio
Address: Rua das Paineiras, Edifício Portal do Lago, Sala 302 (above the pharmacy, Metro Águas Claras, 5-minute walk)
Head instructor: Contramestre Rafael, trained in Salvador under Mestre Boa Gente
Schedule: Beginners Wednesday and Saturday, 6–8 p.m.; music-focused sessions Sunday, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Trial policy: R$30 trial class; monthly fees around R$200–R$250
Contramestre Rafael's background in Salvador—the birthplace of capoeira—shapes everything about this studio. Classes begin with an hour of ginga, kicks, and sequences drilled to live berimbau, atabaque, and pandeiro played by advanced students. The final twenty minutes are devoted to discussion: one week might cover the Malês revolt and capoeira's outlawed history, another the globalization of capoeira angola.
The studio is smaller than Aguas Claras Capoeira Academy, with classes capped at fifteen students. Its Sunday music sessions are open to non-students and are one of the few places in the neighborhood to learn berimbau technique without enrolling in full martial training.
Clarity Movement Capoeira
Address: Avenida Araucárias, Quadra 104, Lote 5 (near the Casa do Ceará restaurant)
Head instructor: Professora Carla, 18 years of practice, former member of Cordão de Ouro
Schedule: Kids' classes Tuesday and Thursday, 4:30–6 p.m.; adult classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 7–9 p.m.
Trial policy: First week free; monthly fees around R$160–R$200
Professora Carla built Clarity Movement around a single idea: capoeira as public performance and exchange. The school runs the only structured kids' program
