Mestre Pintor

Paulo César Leite dos Santos, known as Mestre Pintor in capoeira circles, is the founder and international director of Grupo Bantus Capoeira. Born in Belo Horizonte, he began his capoeira journey in the neighborhoods of Santa Tereza and Floresta, playing with friends in the streets of Minas Gerais's capital city.

As a teenager, Pintor made a pivotal journey to Bahia to deepen his understanding of capoeira under the guidance of the legendary mestres of that generation. He trained with an impressive roster of masters: Atenilo (Bimba's devoted student of 45 years), Waldemar (the iconic Angola mestre of Liberdade), Canjiquinha ("The Joy of Capoeira"), Curió (Pastinha's disciple), Caiçara (master of the bengala), Gigante/Bigodinho (Waldemar's student), João Grande (Pastinha's living legend), Boa Gente (the MMA champion of Bahia), Bom Cabrito (Cobrinha Verde and Gato Preto's student), Medicina, and Papo de Santo Amaro. This breadth of training exposed him to both Regional and Angola traditions during their most vibrant period.

After years of learning from these masters, Pintor settled on the teaching and practice of Mestre João Pequeno de Pastinha in Salvador. João Pequeno, along with João Grande, was one of the "two most prepared students" of Mestre Pastinha himself, making Pintor a direct inheritor of the Pastinha Angola lineage.

In 1989, Mestre João Pequeno graduated Pintor as Mestre during a ceremony with Grupo Macaco at the Escola de Educação Física in Belo Horizonte. A few years later, he received additional recognition as a Mestre of Capoeira Angola specifically.

On February 2, 1991, Mestre Pintor founded Grupo Bantus Capoeira (GBC) in Belo Horizonte with the objective of strengthening and transmitting Brazilian cultural manifestations. The name "Bantus" honors the Bantu peoples of Africa—the "-ntu" suffix meaning "human" and the "Ba-" prefix indicating plurality, together signifying "the people". This name acknowledges the African roots of capoeira and Brazilian culture.

Under his leadership, Grupo Bantus has expanded far beyond Minas Gerais. Today the organization has schools throughout Belo Horizonte and the state, as well as international branches in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Israel. Mestre Pintor travels worldwide to share his knowledge, having taught across Brazil, South America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East over his 40+ years of practice.

Beyond capoeira, Mestre Pintor is recognized as an expert in Maculelê (the stick-fighting dance), Samba de Roda (the traditional circle samba of Bahia), and Forró (northeastern Brazilian partner dance). Grupo Bantus also incorporates Puxada de Rede (the fisherman's net-pulling ritual) and percussion ensembles into its cultural programming.

The group maintains active social projects in Brazil, including participation in "Fica Vivo" and "Escola Integrada" programs. The headquarters remains in Belo Horizonte in the Funcionários neighborhood.