Mestre Celso do Engenho

Celso Carvalho do Nascimento, known as Mestre Celso or Celso do Engenho, was born on October 24, 1939, in Rio de Janeiro. He belongs to a generation of capoeiristas born in the 1930s who formed the core from which contemporary capoeira developed in Rio de Janeiro, alongside mestres Artur Emídio, Leopoldina, Mário Buscapé, Djalma Bandeira, Roque, and Paulo Gomes.

Celso learned capoeira from Mestre Artur Emídio at his academy in Bonsucesso, one of the first formal capoeira academies in Rio de Janeiro. There he trained and graduated as a Master along with other important names such as Leopoldina and Djalma Bandeira. A historic photograph from Artur Emídio's academy shows Celso standing alongside prominent figures including Mintirinha, Aranha, Zé Pedro, Djalma, Silas, Luiz Malhado, Cigano, Artur Emídio, André Lacé, and Preguiça.

In 1973, Celso founded the Associação de Capoeira Engenho da Rainha (ACER) in the Engenho da Rainha suburb of Rio de Janeiro, a working-class neighborhood in the Zona Norte. The organization continues to operate today, with Celso serving as president, and has expanded internationally with branches in the UK including Devon and Cornwall.

During the 1960s and 70s, Celso was recognized as one of the most prominent capoeiristas in Rio de Janeiro. Mestre Gary (Mestre 22 da Bonfim), recalling this dangerous era, listed the notable capoeiristas of the time: "Zé Grande, Deraldo, Luiz do peito queimado, Zé Pedro, Mentirinha, Cilas, Touro, Travasso, Celso do Engenho da Rainha, Corvo, Bogado, Martins, Marlon".

Celso trained students who became important figures in their own right. By 1969, his students João Marcos and Adilson Vitor were teaching at the Furgão club in the Pilares neighborhood, where Master Rui Charuto practiced with them. Celso's nephew Luizão also became a respected figure in the capoeira community. His son Professor Bicudo continues the lineage, leading ACER branches in Surrey, UK. Student Sunil Ninjinho emerged as "one of the best students from Engenho da Rainha group" and was graded in Brazil during Mestre Celso's 70th birthday celebration.

Celso has made significant contributions to capoeira history through his oral testimonies. In an important interview recorded on April 23, 2002, he provided valuable accounts of capoeira practices in Rio de Janeiro before the arrival of organized academies. He recalled observing factory worker Maneca performing capoeira-like movements in 1954, noting that practitioners at the time "didn't say it was capoeira... they said he was a malandro [cunning guy]".

Most significantly, Celso provided testimony about his cousin known as "Americano", who had been imprisoned at Ilha Grande. Celso recounted: "I had a cousin who was also imprisoned at Ilha Grande. Americano, that was his nickname. This cousin of mine also did some capoeira things, rolling on the ground, throwing legs, giving headbutts, but he said that was tiririca, they did it there at Ilha Grande in the prison". This testimony documents the practice of capoeira-like movements called "tiririca" within Rio's prison system, demonstrating how capoeira techniques persisted under different names during the era of prohibition.

Celso was emphatic that he only saw an actual roda de capoeira after Artur Emídio came to Rio de Janeiro: "The first time I saw a capoeira roda was at Arthur Emídio's academy in Praça Mauá, in 1959". When asked to define capoeira, Mestre Celso offered the philosophical response: "Capoeira is capoeira" - suggesting the art transcends simple definition.

In 2011, Celso was one of 100 winners of the first edition of the Prêmio Viva Meu Mestre, created by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN). This award recognizes capoeira masters aged 55 years or older whose life trajectory has fundamentally contributed to the transmission and continuity of capoeira in Brazil.

As of 2024, Mestre Celso remains active and is described as "the oldest active, living Master teaching and playing Capoeira in Rio". Having trained capoeira for over 65 years, he continues to be a vital link to the foundational era of contemporary Rio de Janeiro capoeira.