Mestres

Grand Mestre Nô
Norival Moreira de Oliveira was born in the village of Coroa, Itaparica Island - just off the coast of the city of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil on June 22, 1945. His grandfather gave him his first capoeira lessons when he was 4 years old. At 7, Norival and his family moved to Massaranduba, a poor neighborhood near the church of Bom Fim. Masters Nilton and Cutica, brothers and highly respected capoeiristas who lived down the block, took young Norival to meet the elder Masters Pirro and Zeca.

Pirro, Zeca and Nilton organized and commanded many capoeira rodas in the streets. On special occasions, Mestre Traira, Mestre Waldemar and other Mestres from Liberdade, another poor neighborhood known for it's large population of African descendants, got together and organized incredible rodas; 20 masters would show up to sing quadras,corridos, ladainhas, play berimbau, pandeiro and vadiar or play capoeira. Norival was always present at these capoeira rodas, but he did not yet enter the circle. These rodas were reserved only for mestres.

During an intense Capoeira roda,in front of a church one Sunday afternoon, Mestre Nilton told Norival to "buy the game". Norival began playing in the Mestre's rodas and in 1965 he started teaching in his own academy of capoeira angola.

Mestre No has been teaching capoeira for over thirty years. He founded Capoeira Angola Academies Retinos, Orixas Da Bahia and Capoeira Angola Palmares. He has taught thousands of capoeristas and is called the "mestre dos mestres" or master of masters for having graduated an exceptionally large number of masters. He is founder, president, and grand master of Associacao Brasileira Cultural De Capoeira Angola Palmares (ABCCAP) an organization dedicated to teaching, promoting and maintaining the traditions of Capoeira Angola.

Today, Mestre No lives with his children and grand children in Boca Do Rio, Salvador. He teaches capoeira at his Academy in Boca do Rio and travels throughout Brazil instructing and guiding all capoeiristas and the many academies of ABCCAP. Mestre Ombrinho

Master Michael Goldstein (Mestre Ombrinho) has dedicated over 25 years to enriching the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds through classes and performances in capoeira, the Brazilian form of self-defense disguised as dance. He is a master teacher, the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Afro Brazil Arts, and the first non-Brazilian to become a master of capoeira. He is widely known for his mastery of capoeira among Brazilian capoeira masters and practitioners, as well as his ability to make capoeira accessible to people who are experiencing it for the first time.

Through his leadership, Afro Brazil Arts (ABA), has produced close to one thousand performances and many thousands of classes featuring capoeira and Brazilian music and dance. Founded in 1991, ABA's mission is to inspire leadership and community through capoeira. Also critical to ABA's mission is the training of the next generation of master teaching artists. ABA's has collaborated with arts institutions such as City Center, World Music Institute, The Guggenheim Museum, with arts organizations such as Arts Horizons, Arts Connections, Henry St. Settlement, Midori & Friends, and with schools and universities including Cornell, Yale, Princeton, and Julliard School.

Michael Goldstein is also the Head Instructor of Capoeira Angola Quintal (CAQ) Academy, training adults in the art of capoeira. Widely respected in the international community of capoeira, Mestre Ombrinho & CAQ have been invited to participate in capoeira events and conferences all over the world.

For the past twenty years, Mr. Goldstein has been active internationally teaching courses, participating in panel discussions, organizing events and international encounters and retreats in Brazil, the US, Israel, and Europe. Each year since 1999, Mr. Goldstein has led the ABA Capoeira and Cultural Retreat in Brazil in which North Americans and Brazilians experience capoeira, its culture, and community. Mr. Goldstein grew up in Teaneck, NJ, received his BA in Art at Oberlin College, and lives in Manhattan's East Village.