TEAM - RISE TRAINING

OUR TEAM

CAPOEIRA

CONTRA MESTRE TINTA FORTE

Contra Mestre Tinta Forte, as he is known in the capoeira community, was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago in the West Pullman neighborhood. After high school, Victor started training in the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira with Mestre Marisa Cordeiro of Gingarte Capoeira in 1999. Mestre Marisa’s capoeira group was often booked to perform at Brazilian cultural shows. As a performer, Victor was able to experience all parts of the city and is grateful for this art that teaches pride through an Afrocentric experience.

Although the majority of his capoeira training has been in Chicago, Contra Mestre Tinta Forte has trained capoeira all over the world including extensive periods of time in Brazil. He managed his own capoeira group while living in Albuquerque, New Mexico for several years before returning to Chicago. Contra Mestre Tinta Forte has taught throughout the United States and abroad. He earned his “Contra Mestre” capoeira cord in 2022.

Contra Mestre Tinta Forte has taken the Training For Mandated Reporters. Working with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Child Abuse Hotline, this course helps all Illinois Mandated Reporters understand their critical role in protecting children by recognizing and reporting child abuse. He teaches with safety as a priority and are American Red Cross CPR and First Aid certified.

PROFESSOR EMBUIA

Professor Embuia has been training capoeira for over 17 years in Chicago and has traveled extensively nationally and internationally to capoeira events.

Professor Embuia has also hosted virtual workshops for Rise Training Academy on health and nutrition. In addition to being a martial artist, he also works as Community Engagement Manager for Healthy Schools Campaign.

Professor Embuia currently teaches our capoeira adults classes and performs at our community events.

INSTRUCTOR COM DENDE

Com Dendê began his capoeira journey training in the Angola style during his senior year of high school in 2002. He spent nearly two years with his teacher before circumstances left him needing a new capoeira home, and he found one in Gingarte Capoeira in 2005.

In capoeira, Com Dendê had found an outlet and a family unlike in any other activity, even his previous personal favorites of volleyball and soccer. For him, the art represented freedom - and for that reason he has remained a student of it for two decades, no matter where life has led. His training saw some hiatuses when he spent some years living in the suburbs to further his education, and more still when he became a father in 2015 and joined the electrician's trade. Even so, Com Dendê comes to capoeira as a man with much perseverance, and he earned his blue 'instructor' cord in July of 2022.

Instructor Com Dendê currently teaches Rise Training adults and kids capoeira classes and performs at our community events.

DE BOA

De Boa was born and raised in Chicago and is based on the South Side. De Boa has trained capoeira under Mestre Marisa (Gingarte Capoeira) since 2015 and solely under CM Tinta Forte since 2017.

De Boa teaches kids capoeira classes through Rise Training's school & non-profit organization partnership programs. She also performs at our community events.

De Boa's other interests in movement arts includes years of prior experience in yoga and salsa.

LOUVA DEUS

Louva Deus is an Illinois native and South Side resident. He has more than 10 years of martial arts experience and has trained in multiple styles, including Taekwondo, Combat Hapkido, and Capoeira.

Louva Deus earned his black belt in Taekwondo in 2014 at Equa Do Martial Arts under Master Eric DeVeau. As part of the requirements for black belt and after achieving the rank, he has taught and led classes including students of all ages with some as young as five years old.

Louva Deus has also earned his red belt in Combat Hapkido; this is a senior belt level that also includes the responsibility of instruction. He has been training under Contra Mestre Tinta Forte at Rise Training Academy and is excited to share the joy of capoeira with others!

MESTRE MARISA CORDEIRO

Rise Training trains under the tutelage of Mestre Marisa Cordeiro. She ranks among the highest female capoeiristas in the United States. Mestre Marisa is a leader of the Brazilian community in Chicago and founder of her group Gingarte Capoeira in 1991.

Born in Curvelo, Brazil, Mestre Marisa is a student of Mestre Suassuna and trained at the prestigious Cordão de Ouro Capoeira Academy in São Paulo with other top masters such as Mestre Canguru and Mestre Urubu Malandro. She is well respected in Brazil and around the world as a pioneer for women in capoeira.

KIDS JIU-JITSU

RAVEN TILLMAN

With several years of experience teaching martial arts to children and a passion for promoting wellness, discipline, and community engagement, Raven Tillman is excited about contributing to Rise Training Academy’s mission of uplifting the health and wellness of the South Side community.

In Raven’s previous role as Lead Instructor with Crouching Tigers, Raven conducted dynamic classes that enhanced children's physical activity while fostering their enthusiasm for fitness. She has a strong record of increasing parent engagement through regular progress updates. She focuses on creativity, adaptability, and engaging instruction and has a commitment to high-quality, impactful teaching.

As a Children’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor at Taylor Biagi Jiu Jitsu, Raven assisted in designing and implementing a youth Jiu Jitsu program and coordinated community outreach events. Her experience coaching students of all skill levels and representing the academy at local and regional tournaments has sharpened her ability to inspire discipline and self-confidence in young learners.

Raven’s teaching philosophy emphasizes inclusivity, physical health, and the importance of community and creating a lasting impact through Rise Training’s programs, contributing not only to students’ physical development but also their overall well-being.

KICKBOXING

BAJA VENTO

Baja Vento is a mixed martial artist from the South Side of Chicago with a combined 14 years of experience in various disciplines from all over the world. As a teenager, he began studying judo in 2011, then found his love for karate, and his passion for martial arts, in 2013. Since then he's studied kyokushin karate (4 years), kickboxing (10 years), grappling (8 years), tai chi/internal Chinese martial arts (8 years), and capoeira (5 years).

As a competitor, he has a 2-0 record in amateur Muay Thai competition, a 2-2 record in Brazilian Jujitsu competition, and in 2015 he won second place in forms competition and first place in the knockdown karate competition at the Budo Giant tournament in Montreal. As an instructor, he's taught children, youth, and adults across disciplines for ten years.

He hopes to help students tap into the richness of martial arts as the catalyst for personal growth and empowerment it's been in his life, and to channel that into a force for positive change in the world.

SAMBA

JOSHLEAN FAIR

Joshlean Fair is a native of Chicago and trained for 10 years with the Percussion Scholarship Program. This technical musical training, and her familial roots in jazz and dance, instilled a deep appreciation for the arts across the Diaspora. During her graduate studies, diving into the Tropicália era of music in Brazil was not only an outlet from her studies but also inspired a desire to study Brazilian dance.

Upon returning to Chicago, her love for samba was birthed and cemented under the tutelage of Dill Costa at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Joshlean has been studying Samba and Brazilian folk dance with Dill Costa for 4 years now, and through her, has also studied with numerous professional Brazilian artists, such as Pablo Guerreiro, and with the International Samba Congress.

Joshlean has also had the privilege to parade three times at Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro with prestigious samba schools such as Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, Unidos de Padre Miguel, and as a solo-style dancer, or Musa, with União de Jacarepaguá.

Samba has been a symbol of new beginnings for Joshlean, and a reminder that we all are always on the brink of a new beginning of self-discovery, expression, and service. Her hopes are to continue to study, teach, and honor the art of samba and share this dance form across Chicago and beyond. Joshlean currently works in Chicago in Rheumatological clinical research. Joshlean performs at various venues and events throughout Chicago with groups such as Gingarte Capoeira, Bloco Maximo, and the Dill Costa Dance Group.

WEST AFRICAN DANCE

JEREMY NOAH

Cameroonian native and Columbia alumni Jeremy Noah has been dancing all of his life from the moment he saw Motown 25 and House Party dancing became his ministry.

His fortes include traditional western African, Afro fusion, hip hop, house, capoeira, and breakin’. Jeremy has danced with Muntu Dance Theatre, Theori Productions, African Dance and music institute and has performed with artists like Busta Rhymes.

Life is a stage, so put on a good show!

YOGA

DERRICK CALDWELL

Derrick's yoga journey began in 2011 as a mix of curiosity and a desire to develop healthy lifestyle practices. It didn't take long before he was doing headstands on any wall he could find. After some time exploring yoga philosophy he found ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga is known as a more intense, somewhat regimented practice and would become Derrick's primary practice for several years. In that time, he studied with Ashtangis Todd Boman, Day Christensen, Richard Freeman.

Derrick also explored acrobatics and Thai massage during this time which was surprisingly supplementary to his yoga practice and bodywork in general. Working with children and teenagers in the Kenwood area in Chicago, Derrick saw how yoga transformed his life and thought the folks in his community deserved to have access to this knowledge too.

In 2016, Derrick earned his teacher certification from Moksha Yoga Center giving him access to teach in yoga studios. However, as popular as yoga was at that time, there were no studios in his neighborhood. He had already begun teaching in parks, schools, art galleries, and anywhere people could gather and take space on the floor.

Derrick's teaching style is accessible, works to be as accommodating to all body types and ages, and borrows from the different styles of movement he has learned. Understanding that every movement or asana has a subtle internal process, we all may not be able to put our feet behind our head or sit in lotus, but we can still extract the lessons in breaking such things down.