Mestre Itapoan

Raimundo César Alves de Almeida was born on August 13, 1947, in the Quintas neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, on Rua Gonçalo Muniz. His parents were Erasmo de Almeida and Terezinha Alves de Almeida; he has brothers Fernando Alves de Almeida and Erasmo de Almeida Júnior. He gained the apelido "Itapoan" from living in Itapoã, a coastal neighborhood of Salvador where he still resides today.

On September 22, 1964, at age seventeen, Itapoan began his capoeira training at Mestre Bimba's Centro de Cultura Física Regional at Terreiro de Jesus in Salvador. He quickly became one of Bimba's most dedicated students. In 1965, he received the blue scarf upon completing the basic course. The following year, he earned the red scarf from the first specialization course. In 1967, he achieved the yellow scarf after finishing a second specialization course—making him fully "formado especializado" in Bimba's system.

In 1970, Mestre Bimba organized a tournament for his graduate students. Itapoan emerged as champion in the absolute category. The following year, he was both absolute champion and doubles champion at the Bahian University Games of 1971.

Itapoan trained continuously with Mestre Bimba from 1964 until 1972, when the aging master decided to leave Salvador for Goiânia—a move that would end in tragedy. When Bimba left, Itapoan and his colleague Hélio Campos (Mestre Xaréu), both orphaned of their teacher, resolved to continue the work. They found a location, students began appearing, and on November 13, 1972, they founded the Ginga Associação de Capoeira in Salvador.

The goal of Ginga was explicit: to preserve the Capoeira Regional of Mestre Bimba in its pure form. They succeeded. Over the following decades, Ginga became a reference point in the capoeira world, distinguished by its emphasis on research, lectures, courses, and strong training.

Beyond capoeira, Itapoan pursued a parallel career in dentistry. He earned his degree in 1975 and became a dental surgeon and adjunct professor at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, teaching endodontics. He served as vice-president of the Restorative Dentistry department. He retired as professor but continued practicing.

Itapoan's contributions to capoeira extend far beyond teaching. In 1980, he founded the Associação Brasileira dos Professores de Capoeira (ABPC), serving as its president. In 1983, he helped establish the Federação Bahiana de Capoeira and became part of its Council of Masters.

As an author, Itapoan has produced the most significant body of work documenting Mestre Bimba and Capoeira Regional. His first book, "Bimba, O Perfil do Mestre" (1982), was the first comprehensive biography of the founder. He followed this with "Atenilo, o Relâmpago da Capoeira Regional" (1988), preserving the testimony of Bimba's oldest student. "A Bibliografia Crítica da Capoeira" (1993) became an essential scholarly reference. "A Saga do Mestre Bimba" (1994, English edition 2006) expanded on Bimba's story. "Capoeira: Retalhos da Roda" (2005) collected additional historical fragments. Most recently, "Capoeira Regional na Imprensa" (2024), co-authored with Mestre Cego, documented Regional's media coverage.

He also founded and edited the Revista Negaça, an informative bulletin of Ginga that reached at least four volumes. The first edition was launched on November 13, 1992, celebrating 20 years of Ginga.

In 1966, Itapoan composed "A Palma de Bimba", a corrido celebrating his master's teaching methods—particularly his insistence on correct clapping rhythm: "A palma estava errada / Bimba parou outra vez / Bate essas palmas direito / A palma de Bimba é um dois três".

Itapoan possesses an archive of more than 30,000 documents related to capoeira—likely the largest private collection in existence.

In 1990 (some sources say 1992), he was awarded the Medalha do Mérito Desportivo Nacional (National Sports Merit Medal) by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, nominated by CND President Manoel Tubino, approved by MEC and Minister Carlos Santana, and authorized by President José Sarney.

In 1996, together with Mestre Xaréu, he brought Ginga to the United States through his student Mestre Kiki da Bahia, who founded Ginga Associação de Capoeira USA and became the chief representative of Capoeira Regional in the United States.

In October 2024, the Aracaju City Council awarded Itapoan the Título de Cidadania Aracajuana (Title of Citizenship of Aracaju) for his contributions to capoeira in Sergipe since his arrival there in 1980.

Alongside Mestre Decânio, Itapoan is recognized as one of the foremost living authorities on Mestre Bimba and his Luta Regional. Under his direction, Ginga Associação de Capoeira has remained for over fifty years one of the most authentic schools of Capoeira Regional in the world.