Mestre Miranda

Mestre Miranda is one of the most historically significant yet least documented figures in Capoeira Regional history. He was one of only four students to receive the white handkerchief (lenço branco) directly from Mestre Bimba during the founder's lifetime—the highest honor in Bimba's graduation system.

The four mestres formally graduated by Bimba were: Angelo Augusto Decânio Filho (Mestre Decânio), Jair Moura, Miranda, and Edinho. According to Mestre Edinho himself, these were "os únicos a receberem o título de Mestre da Regional Baiana pelas próprias mãos de Mestre Bimba" (the only ones to receive the title of Master of Regional Baiana directly from Mestre Bimba's own hands).

The white handkerchief represented the pinnacle of achievement in Capoeira Regional. As noted by Mestre Itapoan in a lecture about Bimba: "Bimba only awarded four of these white handkerchiefs during his lifetime: one to Angelo Augusto Decânio Filho, one to Jair Moura, and the other two to people who have since died". Those two deceased recipients were Miranda and Edinho.

Miranda trained at Bimba's Centro de Cultura Física e Luta Regional in Salvador, Bahia, though the exact dates of his training period are not documented in available sources. The limited records about Miranda stand in contrast to the substantial documentation about his fellow white handkerchief recipients Decânio and Jair Moura, both of whom went on to become prolific authors and historians of capoeira.

The full name "Ney Miranda" appears in CapoeiraHub's database of Capoeira Regional mestres, providing one of the few details beyond his apelido.

Miranda's death occurred before Mestre Bimba's own death in 1974, though the exact date is not recorded in accessible sources.