About Us
Our Team, Our Story, Our Values
Capoeira Australis is a family-run Perth based Capoeira Martial School based in Osborne Park. Our mission is to change people’s lives through the joy of Capoeira. Capoeira has deeply impacted our lives and changed it for the better. We’re on a mission to helps kids and adults to experience and feel the Capoeira difference.
Our Story
Capoeira Australis, previously known as Capoeira CDO Perth, started back in 2011 when Lee 'Ouriço' Coumbe decided to share with a couple of friends his passion for Capoeira. Together with wife Mariana 'Estrela' they started training every Sunday morning. With their endless passion and energy more and more friends joined them and later that year official classes began.
Since those humble beginnings Capoeira Australis has changed venues a number of times to cater for expanding student numbers. In 2016, Mariana and Lee had opened their very own studio in Hutton St, Osborne Park. Then in 2019, due to the further expansion of the school, they opened a larger space on Selby St in Osborne Park.
They are very proud to have been able to create a little Brazil outside Brazil in their studio. It is there that they have 9 kids classes and 3 adults classes to cater for the ever growing interest in Capoeira. You can come and visit their Capoeira tree, that has photos of the whole Capoeira family.
COMMUNITY
We strive to create a space where students and their families feel a sense of belonging to a community that is diverse & inclusive where they are cared for and feel comfortable in being themselves.
CONNECT
Through Capoeira people create connections through movement, music and culture; but most importantly, they create deep connections within themselves, with other members and with the world around them.
INCLUSION
The purpose of Capoeira is to provide a positive and nurturing space for all to seek their potential and be supported by a community of kind hearted individuals.
JOY
We strive to create an environment that fosters positive attitudes and positive thinking which leads to joyous practice where happiness and well-being are paramount.
FREEDOM
We strive to create a space where the pursuit of Freedom is kept alive. Capoeira can trace its roots to its pursuit of freedom and we encourage our community to strive for freedom in all aspects of their life.
PROFESSOR OURIÇO
Lee Coumbe, known in Capoeira as Professor Ouriço, learned Capoeira in Osasco, São Paulo in Brazil from his first teacher, Mestre Kuata.
From his very first class, Ouriço fell in love with Capoeira and convinced his wife, Mariana, to train with him. Ouriço trained as much as he could after work and attended as many events as he could along with Mestre Kuata.
While living in Brazil, Instrutor Ouriço, worked as an English teacher and this is where he found his passion for teaching.
When he and Mariana came back to Australia, he not only decided to pursue a career as a High School Science teacher, but also decided to teach the amazing art of Capoeira to his close friends.
With time more and more friends joined him and his passion for teaching grew. His love for guiding all types of people to be the best they can be brought together like minded positive individuals that became the Capoeira Australis community.
Professor Ouriço is the biggest asset to our school. His education background means that he brings the latest teaching techniques and theory. His teaching repertoire has now extended to Psychology and he has been able to use the principles of Positive Psychology in order to not only improve the student’s physical well-being but also their mental well-being. His empathy, enthusiasm and joy in teaching kids and adults is something everyone talks about.
ESTRELA DO MAR
Mariana Coumbe, known in Capoeira as Estrela do Mar, learned Capoeira alongside her husband Ouriço pretty soon after they got married.
The main factor that attracted Mariana to Capoeira were a very friendly couple, Juliana and Thiago, that were training with Mestre Kuata when she and Ouriço joined. They are are good friends of Mariana and Ouriço to this day.
It was the friendships and community that they had in the first days of starting Capoeira that Mariana loved the most about her experience. It has always been this factor that has motivated Mariana to reproduce and improve here in Australia.
She has always believed in the power of Capoeira to bring people together, break down barriers and make people even better human beings.
Mariana is the machinery that makes Capoeira Australis such a successful and thriving community. She is an administration wizard and has seen the enormous expansion of our school.
MESTRE CHINA
Mestre China is the supervisor and mentor of our school. Ouriço and China met briefly in Capoeirando in 2010 but was invited by our then teacher Mestre Kuata to be our guest in 2015's yearly festival. It was then that our friendship solidified and then when we truly met his caring and genuine tranquil nature that we are very fond of. He joined our team in 2019 and has brought with him his enormous experience, artistic ability and wise guidance.
Mestre China lives in the State of Santa Catarina, south of Brazil. He had his beginnings in Capoeira at the age of 13.
He trained Capoeira with quite a few influential teachers and Mestres from Santa Catarina. In 2000 he and his group of friends were affiliated with the group Cordão de Ouro through Mestre Penteado.
Then some years later China found himself under the guidance of Mestre Cícero, who had been accompanying his progress since the beginning of his career with Cordão de Ouro. He is still under Mestre Cícero’s orientation to this day.
As part of a very talented team of Mestres, Contra-Mestres and Professores under Mestre Cícero, Mestre China is guiding Capoeira Australis to a very bright future.