1990 > 2020

Antonio Carlos Moraes, or Mestre Caiçara was born in 1923 and was a Mestre who represented the connection between Capoeira and the streets and criminality. At the time, he was an important personality in the streets of Pelourinho. He possessed urban intelligence, he knew all the criminals, the gangs and the prostitutes of the area and worked with the security team of politicians, among other jobs. He was not only a symbol of streets politics, but also a Mestre of Capoeira whose style was hard and efficient. He claimed to have been part of the band of Lampiao when he was 17 or 18 years old. He died in 1997....

Washington Bruno da Silva, or Mestre Canjiquinha, was an important personality of Capoeira Angola. Born in 1925, he described himself as “the joy of Capoeira” and was known for his tolerance, his good humour and demonstrations. He was also one of the rare Mestres who denied the differences between Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional. According to him, it was just a matter of rhythm. During his demonstrations, he didn’t showcase only Capoeira but also other Afro-Brazilian dances such as Maculélé. He claimed to be the first one who included Maculélé in Capoeira demonstrations. He also acted in a few Brazilian movies presenting Capoeira. His Capoeira name comes from a song by Roberto Martin who, in 1937, was the only song that Washington knew how to sing. Like many others, he died in poverty and left behind talented Mestres like Paulo dos Anjos, Mestre Brasilia and Mestre Lua Rasta. He died in 1994.Mestre Canjiquinha  wrote a book which you can download here:...

Founder of the Group Cordão de Ouro, Reinaldo Ramos Suassuna better known as Mestre Suassuna was born in Brazil in 1938 in Ilhéus and he grew up in Itabuna. Due to a physical leg handicap that he suffered during his childhood, his doctor recommended that he pursue a regular physical activity other than football. Thanks to his two friends, he discovered Capoeira in the beginning of the 50s and began training with Mestre Sururú, Arame and then Tonho Rale. He drew inspiration from the most well-known Mestres such as Mestre Pastinha, Waldemar, but particularly from Mestre Canjiquinha and Mestre Bimba. In 1965, he moved to São Paulo after being called upon to present Capoeira in the city. In September 1967, he would create the group Cordão de Ouro along with Mestre Brasilia. The group Cordão de Ouro is presently one of the oldest groups of Capoeira, as well as one of the biggest and most influential too. Mestre Suassuna is known for his talent as a Capoeirista and for his music skills, but mainly for having created the Miudinho game which is a more dynamic version of the Capoeira Angola game 'Jogo de Dentro'....

Mestre Moraes was born as Pedro Martinez Trindade in Ilha de Maré on the 9th of February, 1950. His father, who is nowadays blind, was a Capoeirista himself and did introduce him to Capoeira at the age of 7. He started to learn Capoeira Angola in Mestre Pastinha’s academy, but back then Mestre Pastinha was already getting blind and his students, Mestre Joao Grande and Mestre Joao Pequeno, were running the school. In 1970 he joined the marines and was sent to Rio de Janeiro. There he started training some students which are nowadays known as masters, like Mestre Braga and Mestre Cobra Mansa. In 1980 he founded the Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho, one of today’s most known Capoeira Angola groups. When he came back to Salvador in 1982, he did notice that Capoeira Angola was almost extinct, the old mestres losing ground against the new elite of modern Capoeiristas. So he started organising rodas and trainings and did fight for the recognition of Capoeira Angola as the traditional art form underlying Capoeira. In the mid-80’s he and his Contra-Mestre Cobra Mansa were able to convice Mestre Joao Grande to get back to Capoeira Angola, with which they managed to...

Mestre Cobra Mansa (born Cinézio Feliciano Peçanha, 1960 in Duque de Caxias, Brazil) commonly known as Cobrinha, Cobrinha Mansa, is a mestre or master of Capoeira Angola. He is one of the founders and the guiding light of an organization known either as FICA (in Brazil, an acronym for Fundaçao Internacional de Capoeira de Angola) or ICAF (in English, this stands for the International Capoeira Angola Foundation, which is the literal translation of the words which make up the acronym FICA). FICA/ICAF is the largest Capoeira Angola organization in the world, consisting of many local affiliates, chapters, and training centers incorporated as not-for-profits in the United States. Mestre Cobra Mansa is well known in the world of Capoeira. He started Capoeira in 1973 with Mestre Josias da Silva and Raimundo in the Rio neighborhood of Duque de Caxias. He played Capoeira in the Duque Caxias street rodas and was one of the founders of the Caxias Street Roda with Mestre Rogerio Russo and Peixinho de Caxias. In 1974 Cobra Mansa became a student of Mestre Moraes after he saw Mestre Moraes play in the Roda of Central Brazil. Prior to his dedicating his life to Capoeira Angola, he worked in photography and...

Mestre Leopoldina (born in 1933) was one of the most famous Mestres from the “a velha guarda” when most of them had already passed away. He is remembered by Angoleiros as well as Regionalistas as a person with a great sense of humour, representing the old Capoeira Carioca, malicia and the traditional maladragem of Capoeira. He died in 2007....