Aranha

Aranha was a capoeirista active in Rio de Janeiro during the 1960s and 1970s who trained at Mestre Artur Emídio's academy in Bonsucesso—one of the first formal capoeira academies in the city.

He appears in a historic photograph from the André Lacé collection showing Mestre Artur Emídio's female students distributing a cordel (traditional Brazilian poetry pamphlet). The photo caption from Capoeira History identifies the gathering as featuring "some of the biggest names in capoeira," including Mintirinha, Aranha, Zé Pedro (berimbau), Djalma (pandeiro), Silas, Celso, Luiz Malhado, Cigano, Artur Emídio, André Lacé, and Preguiça.

Aranha was known as a berimbau player and participated in the legendary Sunday rodas at Zé Pedro's space in Bonsucesso. These weekly gatherings, which ran from 1973 to 1979, became a crucial meeting point for capoeiristas from across Rio de Janeiro. As documented by Capoeira History, the roda brought together practitioners from "the suburbs, the northern and the southern zones," creating what Mestre Paulão described as "an eclectic capoeira."

At these rodas, Aranha played berimbau alongside other musicians including Zé Pedro (also berimbau), Djalma (pandeiro), and Silas (atabaque). André Lacé made a radio broadcast for Rádio Roquette Pinto in 1975 that documented the musicality of these gatherings.

The Sunday roda at Artur Emídio's academy and the subsequent roda at Zé Pedro's played a crucial role in the development of Contemporary Capoeira in Rio de Janeiro, serving as a meeting point where masters from all over Brazil—including renowned berimbau players like Mestres Paraná and Mucungê—would gather and exchange techniques and traditions.

Little is known about Aranha's biography beyond his presence in these historic photos and rodas. His full name, title, and other biographical details remain undocumented in available sources.