Mestre Suassuna

Reinaldo Ramos Suassuna was born on July 4, 1938, in Ilhéus, Bahia, and raised in nearby Itabuna. As a child, he suffered from a muscular condition in his legs, and his doctor recommended physical activity other than soccer to help with rehabilitation. This medical advice would set him on the path to becoming one of the most influential capoeiristas of the modern era.

In the beginning of the 1950s, around 1957-1958, Suassuna discovered capoeira and began training in Itabuna's street rodas under Mestre Maneca (a student of Mestre Bimba and Zoião). He also trained with Mestres Sururú, Bigode de Arame, Tonho Rale, and Maneca Brandão. Suassuna himself admits that initially he did not like capoeira at all - he had difficulty learning the ginga and lacked rhythm to sing - but with time he began to enjoy the art so much that he started taking his training seriously.

To expand his knowledge, Suassuna frequently traveled from Itabuna to Salvador, where he visited the most famous capoeira terreiros in Bahia. There he encountered the legendary mestres who would become his references: Bimba, Canjiquinha, Pastinha, Waldemar, and Caiçara. Among these, Bimba and Canjiquinha had the greatest influence on his development and would eventually both recognize his work and award him his diploma as Mestre. Mestre João Grande (João Batestaca) also became an important influence, particularly on the development of what would become Suassuna's signature Miudinho game - a closed angola game played close.

By the early 1960s, Suassuna had gained recognition for his skill and began receiving invitations to perform capoeira in other Brazilian states and abroad.

In 1965, with the encouragement of friends, Suassuna left Bahia for São Paulo with the dream of opening an academy and succeeding in life with capoeira. The beginning was difficult - he was far from friends, worked various jobs, and faced financial hardship. After much struggle, people from his hometown of Itabuna introduced him to Zé de Freitas's academy in São Paulo. It was there that he met another Bahian capoeirista: Mestre Brasília, a student of Mestre Canjiquinha.

On September 1, 1967, Suassuna and Brasília together founded the Associação de Capoeira Cordão de Ouro in Vila Mariana, São Paulo. The name "Cordão de Ouro" (Golden Cord) was inspired by a popular song on the radio at the time, as well as being the nickname of the legendary capoeirista Besouro Mangangá. In an innovative arrangement, the academy taught both styles: Suassuna taught Capoeira Regional while Brasília taught Capoeira Angola within the same space. Suassuna followed the methodology of ACRESI (Academia Regional de Itabúna), which later became ACRESP.

After a short period, around 1969, Brasília decided to establish his own group (São Bento Grande, later Ginga Brasília), leaving Suassuna to lead Cordão de Ouro independently. Despite their paths diverging, the two remained friends.

Under Suassuna's leadership, Cordão de Ouro became the first capoeira academy in São Paulo and quickly grew into one of the most prominent capoeira groups in the world. The group produced a generation of influential masters including Lobão, Esdras Filho, Tarzan, Belisco, Almir das Areias, and many others. By the 1990s, the "Geração Miudinho" - students like Boca Rica, Habibs, Mintirinha, Kibe, Denis, Saroba, and others - continued enriching the tradition with their own innovations.

In 1972, Mestre Bimba visited São Paulo and formally recognized Suassuna's work, presenting him with a certificate. This recognition from the founder of Capoeira Regional was a remarkable honor.

In 1974, Suassuna organized the first Capoeira Festival of São Paulo State - a milestone in the institutionalization of capoeira in the region.

In 1975, Suassuna recorded his first LP, "Capoeira Cordão de Ouro", with musician Dirceu. The album featured twelve tracks including classic songs like "Capoeira de São Salvador", "São Bento Grande", and "Quando eu morre, disse Besouro". He would go on to record four compact discs in total.

In September 1986, Suassuna participated as a chorus member in the landmark recording session with Mestres Waldemar and Canjiquinha at Boca do Rio, Salvador. This 34-track album, documented by Mestre Itapoan, preserved traditional Bahian capoeira music, with Suassuna joining Mestres Itapoan, Ezequiel, and Geni in the chorus.

Suassuna was a pioneer in taking capoeira international. In 1981, he introduced capoeira to Israel. In 1984, he participated in a major capoeira event at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro. Through the 1980s, the internationalization of Cordão de Ouro accelerated as students from Bahia were sent abroad to promote capoeira around the world.

In 1997, Suassuna organized the first "O Capoeirando" event in Ubatuba, São Paulo, in partnership with Mestres Gato and Peixinho. The event later moved to Ilhéus, Bahia. Each January, O Capoeirando brings together capoeiristas from Brazil and around the world for a week of classes, discussions with renowned mestres, and rodas on one of the most beautiful coastlines in southern Bahia.

During a period when Suassuna was concerned about the direction capoeira was taking - with players moving too far apart and the game becoming increasingly aggressive and broad - he began to reminisce about the capoeira he played at the end of the 1950s. He created a training system with sequences of movements and set a style rich in close, intricate play. After more than fifteen years of development, it became the Jogo do Miudinho. In his words: "People think it's a new capoeira, and it's nothing like that. I simply rescued an older capoeira, modernized the manner of playing it, changed the sequences... the name miudinho arose because I was observing that capoeiristas were playing very distant from each other and in our time we played very close; thus, I said to people, 'I want the game more minute, closer, play very tiny.'"

Today, Suassuna lives on a farm known as "Sítio do Vovô" in a district of São Paulo. Cordão de Ouro has expanded to five continents and remains one of the oldest, largest, and most influential capoeira organizations in the world. As Mestre Decânio once described him: "The apostle of Mestre Bimba in São Paulo".