Contra-Mestre Bambu has been training Capoeira under the tutelage of Mestre Barrão since 1998.
Since he began training, Bambu has participated in performances and workshops spanning all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and soon Europe. He is extremely dedicated to his work, his group, and his Mestre and he shows this in his teaching and training.
Steven “Bambu” Kolhouse began training Capoeira with a small group in Bloomington, IN on the Indiana University campus in early 1998. Four months after he started, the teacher of their college group moved away after graduating from his degree program. Desperate to find a new teacher, Bambu and a couple of eager students went to a weekend workshop and batizado in Chicago, IL. It was here that Bambu first met Mestre Barrão. After the workshop, Mestre Barrão was kind enough to accept Bambu and his friends as a part of Grupo Axé Capoeira. That fall, they went to their first Grupo Axé Capoeira batizado in Vancouver, BC Canada. It was here that Bambu truly fell in love with Capoeira and it changed from a hobby to a way of life.
From 1998-2004, Bambu taught with random success in various cities in Indiana. He would attend every Grupo Axé event he could in order to spend time training with Mestre Barrão so that he could absorb as much knowledge as possible. In 2004, Bambu moved to Chicago with the hopes to develop his academy, bring a strong Capoeira presence to the Mid-West United States, and train complete Capoeiristas versed in all aspects of the game, fight, music, history, culture, and language. In 2006, Bambu took part in a 5 day course to standardize the level of teaching within Grupo Axé Capoeira. The Capoeira course consisted of four parts: Capoeira History, Capoeira Angola, Capoeira Regional, and Capoeira Contemporânea. These courses were taught by world renowned individuals: Historian Frede Abreu, Mestre Jogo de Dentro, Mestre Nenel, and Mestre Barrão. A course of this caliber has rarely, if ever, been taught and is something few can say they have accomplished. Soon after the course, Bambu was fully graduated to the status of Professor (Instructor).
In 2009, Bambu opened his first Capoeira academy, an 1800 square foot storefront, the largest Capoeira academy in Chicago.
Today, Bambu continues to travel and train as much as possible. Anywhere there is an event or roda that he can attend he is there. He is one of the top Capoeiristas in the Mid-West United States, due to the intensive training given to him by Mestre Barrão, and he continues to strive to better his teaching, himself, and all students of Grupo Axé Capoeira.