Tucson Capoeira

"I'm a college student who trained on and off at this school for 2 years and had a good experience during, but when I advised the owner, Mestre Besouro aka Bryan Castle, that I'd be taking a break to explore other martial arts he did not take my card off file as he said he would and after 2 months of contact and $200 of unauthorized charges he only refunded $80, then another $20 when I finally disputed the charge. This conduct is of course unprofessional and unacceptable, so when enrolling with this school take this into consideration as it may be made difficult to leave."

"Unfriendly aggressive behavior by older woman pounding on my window before opening for the day in shared parking lot. My children are paying customers of the shared businees and people should not be harassed becaise of it."

"I came to Tucson about a year and a half ago. I’ve played capoeira for 20-ish years on and off, but hadn’t really had a capoeira home for 10 years while I deployed and worked overseas. With good health again, and a fresh arrival to Tucson I contacted UCA Quilombolas to see if Contra-Mestre Besouro would welcome a transplant. He not only invited me to visit classes, but also took some time to get to know me as a person. Also, the classes themselves focus on specific areas relative to learning all aspects of capoeira. Are we experts in specific aspects you may have seen elsewhere (training for MMA fighting, or performing every spectacular acrobatic movement, or diving deeply into all aspects of Afro-Brazilian culture and music, or other specialties)? No. Instead, students at UCA Quilombolas learn capoeira from many perspectives, taking classes that teach all that capoeira has to offer. With my experience, CM Besouro occasionally asks me to teach specific classes that play to my strengths (simply having been in our capoeira sub-culture for as long as I have and having played capoeira in a lot of places). Other students with experience teach aspects related to their strengths (beautiful movement, timing and strategy, working with children, etc). CM Besouro oversees the trajectory of his group and teaches regularly to reinforce his vision of capoeira as well as his teacher’s vision, Grande-Mestre Accordeon. This review is written from the perspective of someone that belongs to the group reviewing it, but has also spent decades in the wider capoeira world. If you are interested in learning what this whole capoeira thing is all about, with no experience, we’re a great place to start. If you are a martial artist interested in the unorthodox movements, powerful kicks, and distance and timing that capoeira can add to your overall knowledge, we’re a great place to learn. If you are a musician curious about Afro-Brazilian polyrhythms and unique musical instruments, we’re a great place to perform. If you’re a dancer interested in the beautiful movements you’ve seen these capoeira folks do at festivals and stage performances, we’re a great place to explore. And if you are a fellow capoeirista looking for a fun place in Tucson, we’re a great place to play!"

"Great energy, great workout and most importantly, great instructor. He really takes the time to work with each student to help them with the techniques. He also does a great job of helping students understand the concepts being taught. Highly recommended for anyone looking for something challenging and fun."

"I was back in Tucson for a few weeks and was happy to take a couple of classes while visiting. The energy and sense of community here is exactly what I would expect from a solid Capoeira program. Thank you for the great training and for welcoming me back with open arms and keeping Capoeira alive and strong in Tucson! Whether you have done Capoeira before or never heard of it you should definitely check out a class!!!"