Our Instructors
Michael Goldstein
Michael Goldstein, known in the capoeira world as Mestre Ombrinho, is the Head Instructor at the New York Mindful Capoeira Academy, where people of all ages learn, practice and play capoeira angola.
Mestre Ombrinho is the first non-Brazilian to become a capoeira master, is widely respected for his capoeira skill and knowledge, and known especially for his ability to develop excellent capoeiristas and teachers, while making the art accessible to people who are experiencing it for the first time.
Michael Goldstein is also Afro Brazil Arts founder and Executive Director. He has dedicated close to 40 years to practicing capoeira and enriching the lives of people of all ages through his leadership of capoeira programs.
For the past thirty years, Mestre Ombrinho has been active internationally teaching courses, participating in events and international encounters in Brazil, the US, Israel, and Europe. Each year since 1999, Mr. Goldstein has led the Capoeira and Cultural Retreat in Brazil in which North Americans and Brazilians experience capoeira and Afro Brazilian culture.
Mestre Ombrinho
Mestre Nô
Norival Moreira de Oliveira (born June 22, 1945), also known as Mestre Nô is a Grand Master of capoeira angola. Known as the Master of Masters, he was initiated into capoeira at the age of four.
He was born in Coroa, Itaparica, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. At 7, Norival and his family moved to Massaranduba, a poor neighborhood not far from the church of Bomfim. Mestre Nilton and Mestre Cutica, brothers and highly respected capoeiristas who lived down the block, took young Norival to meet the elder masters Pirró and Zeca. Pirró, Zeca and Nilton organized and commanded many capoeira angola rodas in their neighborhood.
Norival began playing in the mestre's rodas and in 1965 he started teaching in his own academy. Mestre Nô founded Capoeira Academies Retintos, Orixás da Bahia and Capoeira Angola Palmares. He has taught thousands of capoeiristas. He is founder, president, and grand master of Associação Brasileira Cultural de Capoeira Palmares (ABCCP) an organization dedicated to teaching, promoting and maintaining the traditions of Capoeira Angola.
Mestre Nô, "mestre dos mestres" has graduated over 100 students to the level of Master, unique for any teacher to accomplish in their lifetime.
Today, Mestre Nô lives with his family in Salvador, Bahia. He travels throughout Brazil, the US, Europe, and other parts of the world teaching the practice, traditions and wisdom of capoeira angola.