Mestre Tarzan

Mestre Tarzan emerged as one of the first generation of students trained by Mestre Suassuna at Cordão de Ouro in São Paulo. Founded on September 1, 1967, Cordão de Ouro became the first capoeira academy in São Paulo, and Tarzan was among the "primeiros bambas"—the first skilled students—who graduated under Suassuna's guidance during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sources document Tarzan's lineage as passing through both Mestre Medicina and Mestre Suassuna, connecting back to Mestre Bimba. This suggests Tarzan may have trained with Medicina in Itabuna before following the path to São Paulo and Cordão de Ouro, or that he trained with both masters in their respective locations. Medicina had taken over Suassuna's academy (ACRESI) in Itabuna when Suassuna departed for São Paulo in 1965.

After establishing himself as a mestre, Tarzan founded the Associação Desportiva e Cultural de Capoeira Beira Mar. The organization operates two schools—one in Araçatuba and one in Campinas—with a combined enrollment of over 200 students. Both cities are in the interior of São Paulo state, reflecting the expansion of capoeira beyond the capital.

Tarzan's influence extended to the city of Jundiaí as well. There, alongside Mestre Galo (a different person from the student of Bimba by the same name), Tarzan helped introduce capoeira to the region. Mestre Rã (Cássio Martinho), who would later co-found the United Capoeira Association with Mestre Acordeon, received his early training from both Tarzan and Galo in Jundiaí before founding his own group Capoeira Idalina in the early 1980s.

In Campinas, Tarzan established Academia Beira Mar, where he trained Mestre Cícero. When Cícero encountered Tarzan's academy after returning from a formative experience in Santos, Tarzan asked him, "Quer assistir uma aula?" (Do you want to watch a class?). Cícero's decisive response—"Quero começar a treinar" (I want to start training)—began a relationship that lasted years and led to Cícero achieving the rank of Mestre 1º Grau. Cícero later acknowledged: "A quem me ensinou pela primeira vez Mestre Tarzan. Ao grande Mestre Suassuna que me abriu novos horizontes na capoeira com seus ensinamentos" (To he who first taught me Mestre Tarzan. To the great Mestre Suassuna who opened new horizons in capoeira with his teachings).

Another significant student was Bundo, who began training under Tarzan in 1984. Bundo later became a Professor under Mestre Caiçara and his brother Contra-Mestre Lampião in 1990, then trained under several other famous mestres including Canhão, Gladson, Burguês, Paulo Gomes, and Ananias. Before moving to the United States, Mestre Ananias granted Bundo the title of Contra-Mestre. Once in the United States, Bundo founded Grupo Bantu Capoeira in Jacksonville, Florida.

Maintaining contact with his first teacher, Bundo later renamed his group "Bantu Beira-Mar" to reflect the reunion with Tarzan's organization. Together, Mestre Tarzan and Mestre Bundo merged their efforts to establish a Beira-Mar Capoeira presence in the United States. Today, Capoeira Beira-Mar operates schools in Jacksonville (FL), Richmond (KY), Lexington (KY), Louisville (KY), and Granby (CO), as well as in São Paulo, Brazil and Daejeon, South Korea.

Mestre Tarzan continues to visit the United States periodically to share his knowledge and experience. With over thirty-five years of experience, he has been recognized as "a leading Master of Capoeira in his native country of Brazil, as well as throughout the world."