Mestre Vermelho 27

José Carlos Andrade Bittencourt, known as Mestre Vermelho 27, was born on March 9, 1936. He first encountered Mestre Bimba in 1952, drawn to the Centro de Cultura Física Regional by the reputation of its legendary founder. The following year, in 1953, he formally began training under Bimba at the academy on Terreiro de Jesus.

The nickname "Vermelho" (Red) came from his distinctive reddish skin complexion. As another student named Vermelho already trained under Mestre Pastinha, he added "27" to distinguish himself—a number that was his lucky charm at roulette and coincidentally his car's license plate. Over time he became known simply as "Vermelho de Mestre Bimba" due to his profound connection to his teacher.

Bimba himself recognized Vermelho 27's extraordinary dedication, famously declaring him "Maluco por Capoeira" (Crazy about Capoeira). He was counted among Bimba's ten best students and graduated in 1956.

Beyond capoeira, Vermelho 27 worked at PETROBRÁS' Landulfo Alves Refinery in Bahia. This stable employment would prove crucial—it gave him the financial foundation to undertake what he called "a very difficult mission" in preserving Mestre Bimba's academy.

When Mestre Bimba decided to relocate to Goiânia in 1973, disillusioned by broken promises and lack of governmental support in Bahia, the future of his historic academy at Terreiro de Jesus hung in the balance. Bimba initially attempted to sell the space to his students, but most could not afford it. Ultimately, he entrusted the academy to Vermelho 27, telling him: "Vermelho, you are the only one who can keep this place because you are 'crazy about capoeira.'"

In 1972, Bimba held his final graduation ceremony at the Centro de Cultura Física Regional—an event the press called "A Formatura do Adeus" (The Farewell Graduation). Vermelho 27 served as the orator for this historic occasion. He also organized a farewell celebration for his mestre at the PETROBRÁS refinery in Madre de Deus (Mataripe) in 1973.

Following Mestre Bimba's death in February 1974, Vermelho 27 assumed full responsibility for the academy. In 1975, to honor his teacher's memory, he renamed it the Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba (ACMB). He was not alone in this mission—he formed alliances with Mestre Boa Gente, Ferro Velho (Mestre Durval), Vermelho Boxel, Mestre Bahia, and Mestre Bando to keep the academy running.

Several mestres gathered together after Bimba's death with a shared purpose: to discuss Capoeira Regional and remain as close as possible to the work their teacher had left behind. Vermelho 27 continued teaching at Terreiro de Jesus until the early 1980s, when the school briefly passed to Mestre Almiro before being transferred to Mestre Bamba (Rubens Costa Silva), who leads it today.

Vermelho 27 also served as patron of the Grupo de Capoeira Porto da Barra, founded in 1993 by his student Mestre Cabeludo (Antonio Sergio Pinho Freire de Carvalho).

In his later years, Vermelho 27 battled skin cancer. He never stopped teaching or thinking about capoeira. On his deathbed, he made a final request to his disciple, Mestre Cabeludo: "Do not let Capoeira Regional stop. Write my book and keep talking about Mestre Bimba".

Mestre Vermelho 27 died on May 18, 1996, due to respiratory failure. In a fitting tribute to his lifelong devotion, a berimbau was placed on his remains at his funeral.

His legacy endures through the Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba in the Terreiro de Jesus—the oldest space in the world where capoeira is continuously taught, preserved by the man whom Bimba trusted with his life's work.