Mestre Bimba (SSA)
Name: Manoel dos Reis Machados
Group: Capoeira Regional
Country: Brazil (South-America)
City: São Salvador, Bahia
Birthday: 1899-11-23
Day of death: 1974-02-05
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About Mestre Bimba (SSA)
Mestre Bimba is most famous for convincing the Brazilian authorities of the cultural value that is Capoeira and thus, in the 1930’s, ending its official ban (which has been in effect since 1890). He did so after a Capoeira performance at the palace of Juracy Magalhães: Bahia’s Governor.
Secondly, he founded the first official Capoeira school in 1932, the Academia-escola de Cultura Regional, at the Engenho de Brotas in Salvador, Bahia. In order to change the pejorative reputation of Capoeira and its practitioners as devious, stealthy and malicious, Bimba set new standards to the art. He added moves inspired by an ancient African Fighting style called ‘Batuque‘ (in which his father was a champion) as well as movements created by himself (possibly inspired by other martial arts such as Judo, but this remains uncertain). He was also the first to create a method of teaching (Capoeira used to be watched/learned in the streets) and implement uniforms and graduations for his students.