Rising Stars: Meet Beto Simas of Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beto Simas.

Hi Beto, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Beto Simas, also known as Mestre Boneco, and my life’s work has been guided by seeing capoeira as an art form, a cultural language and a way of connecting people across borders. I am one of the cofounders of Grupo Capoeira Brasil, established in 1989 in Brazil and one of the largest ones in the world, with teachers and students across five different continents.

Capoeira is a Brazilian cultural expression that combines movement, music, rhythm and dialogue. Often described as blend of martial art, fight and dance, it is practiced in a circle – called roda – where the players communicate through motion, strategy and mutual respect, guided by the sound of the Berimbau (the main symbol of this art form). More than a physical practice, Capoeira carries history, creative expression and is rooted in Afro-Brazilian ancestry.

After a decade of my group’s foundation and works of acting in plays and soap operas in Brazil, I moved to the US in 1998, calling Los Angeles my home ever since.

Capoeira Brasil LA headquarters was open for about 25 years on the Westside of the City, always welcoming students from different backgrounds, genders, ages and origins. The space became a cultural spot for Capoeira, Brazilian and multicultural expressions. Over the years, my work has expanded beyond solely the classes into educational projects, festivals, public performances and audiovisual projects, all while having capoeira at the center of it all.

During the Pandemic, we struggled to keep doors open but, thanks to continuous community support, we were able to resist and moved to a new location in Culver City. Opening a new space during such a moment represented resilience, renewal and the commitment to serving the local community through the arts.

In recent years, I have developed our internal festival “Ponto de Cultura”, one that strengthens the connection between Brazil and the United States with various artistic expressions, and I have also been the U.S. head for VMB (Volta ao Mundo Bambas), the largest Capoeira competition of the World.

Today, I continue my work as an educator, artist and cultural producer, developing projects that connect capoeira with performing arts, music, wellness and human development. My journey reflects a living bridge between these two countries that I’m deeply connected to: Brazil and the United States, as well as a strong belief that Capoeira has the power to transform lives.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Although the journey has been pleasant, it was anything but easy. Like many immigrants, when I first moved to the country, I faced the realities of starting from scratch – navigating a new culture and the language barrier, the responsibility of providing for my family far away from home. With limited resources and no safety net, survival required adaptability, humility and relentless work ethic. Yet even in those uncertain years, I’ve always carried the values and knowledge of capoeira, planting seeds that would later grown into a lasting legacy. My journey is a testament to perseverance and sacrifice, rebuilding my life while also staying true to my roots.

COVID-19 years were also a very challenging time and we struggled to keep doors open when moving to an online format. That period also demanded a lot of reinvention and resilience, but I kept committed to capoeira and to the community we had been building in LA for decades.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My relationship with capoeira began very early. I was 11 years old when I first encountered it – almost by accident. I had never heard of capoeira before, but the moment I saw it, something clicked instantly. I jumped in and never stopped. Even as a child, I knew this was not just a phase or hobby and made the decision very young to live through it. At that time, the idea was almost unheard of. Capoeira was something people practiced on the side – out of passion or tradition – not something you built a life on. Still, I believed it was possible.

The artistic background shaped the way I saw and still see it to this day: a movement with intention, rhythm and meaning. A dialogue that in and out of itself is storytelling.

My journey in Los Angeles made such vision even clearer. I have always been drawn to pioneering projects – creating spaces, programs and initiatives that carry strong and authentic identities.

What I am most proud of – and known for – is having stayed true to that original intuition I had as a child: trusting capoeira as a life path even when very few people believed it could be one. I am proud of the generations of students, teachers and artists who have grown through this work and for helping establish capoeira as a respected cultural, educational and professional practice in the USA.

Over the years, my work has expanded beyond practice into reflection and the development of my own teaching approach. In 2001, I created a methodology rooted in my experience with capoeira, education and community work – one that I have continued to refine ever since.

Recently, this long-term process took shape in the publication of a book where I shared this methodology, its foundations and practical applications, with the goal of preserving and passing this knowledge on to future generations as well as expanding it beyond capoeira into a bridge to life itself – a source of reflection, resilience and personal growth.

What sets me apart is my relationship with capoeira as a living art. It is not fixed or confined; it breathes, adapts and speaks through the body. I follow it both as discipline and poetry, allowing it to guide my work, teaching and my way of being.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is connection. Family is my foundation – the place where values are learned, shared and carried forward. Relationships, whether by blood or by choice, are what give meaning to movement, work and life itself. Everything I do begins and returns to the sense of belonging.

Beyond family, what matters most to me is the bond between people – the ability to listen, to respond, to recognize one another through presence rather than words. I believe that true learning and transformation happen in relationships.

I am also deeply guided by a sense of connection to something larger – to nature, to time and to the Universe. This connection brings humility and responsibility. It reminds me that we are a part of a continuous flow, shaped by those who came before us and accountable to those that will come after.

At its core, what matters most to me is nurturing connection as a way of living, creating and contributing to the world.

Pricing:

• Drop in class: $30
• 2 classes/week: $160/month
• 10 class card: $250
• Unlimited/month: $245
• 10% discount for Family members

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.capoeirabrasil.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capoeirabrasilla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capoeirabrasilla/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapoeirabrasilLA
• Other: http://wa.me/13239352224/