ABOUT US
We started Ape Co for one simple reason:
To remind every person that what you are capable of is beyond what you think is possible.
our values
We believe in movement education for curious, life-long learners.
We believe movement is the key to a happy, healthy and fulfilled life.
We created Ape Co as a space for you to experience breakthroughs, increase awareness of yourself (mind and body) and grow together in community.
our approach
Our programming draws from a diverse background of practices and teachers — from gymnastics to contemporary dance and Capeoira to mixed martial arts. Our teachers include people like Ido Portal, Marcello Palozzo, Tom Weksler, Shai Faran and many more who are thinking about movement education for adults in new and innovative ways.
our story
From spinal waves at the CrossFit box to a buzzing, world-class movement community
“When I first got into movement in around 2012, I started to see incredible progress in my body and practice. The way that my first teacher, Ido Portal, was teaching was truly incredible.
He was able to take somebody like me who couldn't even make the JV soccer team and give me things like a one-arm handstand, a one-arm chin up, incredible flexibility, and all sorts of other amazing capacities that made me start to feel like a superhuman.”
-Matt Bernstein
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Our Founder Matt Bernstein was working as a firefighter and ski patroller in Steamboat Springs, CO. Originally a CrossFitter, he wanted a greater sense of strength and coordination and to expand on the skills he already possessed. He started teaching in CrossFit studios, gyms, and outside with small groups of students who were curious about this “movement” thing.
2010
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Matt started Boulder Movement Collective in 2016 with a small group of students, and opened a space on Valmont Road in Boulder, CO. He wanted to create a home for a new way of moving with a community of curious people. At the same time, he was at the beginning of starting a family. It was a leap of faith, messy, terrifying, and exciting.
2016
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BMC became Ape Co Movement School, birthed in the midst of a pandemic. From 2020-2025, we built two vibrant communities in Boulder and Denver. Though our Denver location is no longer here, we’re so proud it was a haven for movers who would visit us from across the globe, and it was named one of Denver’s Best Gyms.
2020
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In 2025, Ape Co opened a new studio on Walnut Street with space and equipment for our growing community. In 2026, we celebrated 10 years of Ape Co, and hope to continue to bring movement to Boulder and beyond for many years to come. Matt and many of our teachers continue to deepen their knowledge studying with Marcello Palozzo and other innovators in the field.