Hi, I’m Lipe, or Curioso in the Capoeira world.

Capoeira has been part of my life for a long time. It’s an Afro-Brazilian art that brings together movement, play, music, rhythm, history, strategy, and community. Imagine a conversation where, instead of only using words, two people communicate with their whole bodies while everyone around them sings, claps, and plays music. That’s one way I like to think about Capoeira.

My first encounter with Capoeira happened when I was a kid in Brazil, and over the years it kept finding its way back into my life. Mestre Leo gave me an important foundation and helped shape my path. Mestre Damião introduced me to the world of Capoeira Angola and helped me understand Capoeira beyond movement, through its history, traditions, philosophy, and ancestry. Today, I continue learning with Mestre Jorge Itapuã Beiramar, who has become an important mentor in this chapter of my journey.

I’m still a student, and I hope I always will be. That curiosity is also what I try to bring into my teaching.

My practice has expanded through Organic Flow Method, created by Jorge Itapuã Beiramar, at Capoeira Beiramar School, a movement practice I began studying and became certified to teach in 2024. It has helped me explore mobility, awareness, creativity, and a different relationship with my own body.

And then there is photography. I’m a photographer by profession, and for me photography and Capoeira are deeply connected. Both are ways of paying attention, being curious, connecting with people, preserving stories, and understanding the world around me.

This is a little piece of who I am and why I’m creating this community here on Cape Cod.

If you’re curious, click below to explore more of my journey as a photographer and capoeirista.