Mestrando Índio
Mestrando Índio has dedicated his life to learning and teaching Capoeira.
He is a one cord away from becoming a Mestre, the highest level and a three-time Brazilian champion in Capoeira (1988, 1989 and 1990).
Índio’s involvement in Capoeira encompasses teaching children on the streets of Brazil to invitations to teach adults in the University of California in Santa Cruz, USA.
In 1993, he founded the Acre Capoeira Federation and the Capoeira Central Association.
Índio has been serving as the elected President of the Capoeira Central Association (CCA) since its formation.
In 1993, Índio and the CCA began a series of government funded projects in Brazil for children.
When the programs first began in 1993 approximately 200 children were enrolled.
That number has gone up as high as 700 children.
These after-school programs are aimed at getting children off the streets by teaching them Capoeira.
They are designed to motivate the children and encourage them to enrol in full-time school.
The majority of these children are homeless and many are involved in drugs and crime.
Through learning Capoeira, they acquire various skills, develop self-discipline and gain the desire for a better life.
Índio has received a letter of accommodation from Senator Flavino Melo, the former senator of Acre-Brazil, attesting to his work with the street children of the Rio Branco - Acre area.
The Senator believes that Índio’s work with these children brought them improved social skills, better interactions within society and provided them with new and positive role models for their lives.