Mestre Boa Gente

Vivaldo Conceição Rodrigues was born on May 17, 1945, in Ibicaraí, in the southern region of Bahia. Capoeira Angola captured his heart in 1956 in Ilhéus, during the celebration of Saint Sebastian, patron saint of the city. Watching mestres João Grande, João Pequeno, and Antônio Cabeceiro play capoeira sparked something in the eleven-year-old boy.

There were no capoeira schools in Ilhéus at the time. Boa Gente learned in the traditional manner—watching others in the roda and applying what he saw, the same way capoeira had been transmitted for generations. His first teacher was Mestre Antônio Cabeceiro, a student of Mestre Pastinha, who taught him on the streets of Ilhéus.

Fate brought him to Salvador, searching for his brother Dominguinhos. In the capital, he found his way to the Escola Baiana de Capoeira Angola at Mirante do Calabar, where he trained under Mestre Gato Preto for many years, from 1960 to 1970. Photographs from December 1963 show a young Boa Gente playing pandeiro at Gato Preto's roda during the Festa da Boa Viagem at Dona Pompilha's school. Decades later, it was Boa Gente who helped identify the people in these historic photographs for the Velhos Mestres archive.

When Valdemar Santana, the legendary "Leopardo Negro" (Black Leopard) and Brazilian vale-tudo champion, visited the Escola Baiana de Capoeira Angola, he was so impressed by Boa Gente that he invited him to train at his MMA academy. The intensity and dedication that had served Boa Gente in capoeira translated directly to fighting. In 1974, he became the MMA champion of Bahia.

His martial arts journey didn't stop there. In 1972, while at Casa de Pedra watching a presentation by the Sons of Oba group, Professor Lee invited him to train Korean Karate. Together, they co-founded the Taekwondo Association of Bahia.

After his time with Gato Preto, Boa Gente sought to deepen his understanding of Capoeira Regional. He went to train at Mestre Bimba's academy—by then under the supervision of Mestre Vermelho 27, as Bimba had departed for Goiânia. Vermelho 27 provided the rigorous training Boa Gente sought, and afterwards invited him to collaborate in preserving Bimba's legacy after the mestre's death in 1974.

In 1981, Boa Gente founded the Associação de Capoeira Mestre Boa Gente. He dedicated himself to social work in the neighborhoods of Vale das Pedrinhas, Nordeste de Amaralina, and Santa Cruz. For nearly twenty years, he taught at the Colégio São Paulo, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Bahia, becoming a pioneer in teaching capoeira to children and adolescents in private schools.

His reputation spread internationally. He conducted workshops across Brazil, the United States (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas), Europe (Lisbon), and Australia. In 1993, he taught actor Mark Dacascos for the film "Only the Strong", contributing to what remains the only Hollywood film showcasing capoeira from beginning to end. In 2000, he participated in the celebrations of the 500 years of Brazil in Porto Seguro alongside his old teacher Mestre Gato Preto.

Today, Mestre Boa Gente remains active, teaching and supervising classes daily in Vale das Pedrinhas. He is one of the main promoters of Capoeira Angola and an active member of the ABCA (Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola), the most important representative institution of Capoeira Angola in Brazil.