-- Mestre Garrincha

Capoeira, uma lição de vida

Master Garrincha, born in 1954 in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the founding members of the Senzala Capoeira Group, a movement that began in the 60's and came to be the main influence in the development of Capoeira all over Brazil and abroad.

Garrincha is a self-taught man. As a child, he would come down from the “favela” to play capoeira with a group of teenagers who lived in Laranjeiras, a middle-class area of Rio de Janeiro.
Before learning capoeira, at the age of 10, he was an expert at street soccer. His swift and playful movements reminded people of one of the best soccer players on the Brazilian national team at the time: Garrincha. His likeness to the soccer star earned Master Garrincha his nickname. “Garrincha, the athlete, is a symbol of joy, creativity, art and the boldness of Brazilian soccer. Garrincha is joy for the people, just like my capoeira” he says

Garrincha was still very young when he received the title of Master and began teaching at the PUC-Rio University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC) in 1971. It was there that he developed his own pedagogy.
In 1984, after receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1979-1983) he succeeded in making capoeira part of the official curriculum of PUC, and later in several other Brazilian universities and abroad.

He trained instructors who now command nucleo in Holland, France, Finland, Spain, and other countries around the world.

“The next step is to have an exchange with Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam. I believe there are many aspects of the cultures which can be traded and interchanged”, says Garrincha.

Desde 1986, Garrincha dedica-se à educação infantil através da capoeira. Criou o projeto infanto-juvenil Capoeira do Futuro, implantado em escolas como Ceat, Escola Parque e Grãozinho.