Mestre Almiro

Almiro Aquilino, known as Mestre Almiro, is a master of Capoeira Regional from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. His journey in capoeira led him to the historic Academia do Bimba—the first recognized capoeira school in Brazil and the spiritual heart of Capoeira Regional—located at the Terreiro de Jesus in Salvador's Pelourinho district.

In 1983, Almiro received his Mestre certification at the Academia do Bimba, marking his ascent to the highest traditional rank in Capoeira Regional. This occurred during a transitional period for the historic institution: Mestre Bimba had died in 1974, and his faithful student Vermelho 27 had been maintaining the academy since the early 1970s. When Vermelho 27's health declined in the early 1980s, the school came under the brief supervision of Mestre Almiro.

Almiro headed the academy until 1986, when he was invited to come to the United States to teach capoeira and related music courses at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. This opportunity marked a significant moment in capoeira's global spread—one of Mestre Bimba's direct lineage practitioners bringing the art to the Pacific Northwest.

Shortly after his arrival in the summer of 1986, Almiro presented three master classes at local high schools and performed on fifteen separate occasions at local community events. Portland welcomed him warmly, and he fell in love with the city, deciding to emigrate permanently. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1994.

After his departure from Salvador, the Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba at Terreiro de Jesus was transferred to Mestre Bamba (Rubens Costa Silva), who continues to lead it today. This succession—Vermelho 27 → Almiro → Bamba—preserved the unbroken lineage of Mestre Bimba's historic academy.

Over the following decades, Mestre Almiro has given or participated in many capoeira workshops across the West Coast—in Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Eugene, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Vancouver BC. He has also organized cultural exchange trips to Brazil for his students and others interested in taking capoeira classes in his native city of Salvador.

In 2004, Mestre Almiro founded the Bahia Brazil Art Center (formerly the Cultural Awareness Foundation), a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing Brazilian culture with the citizens of Portland through movement, music, and art. The vision extended beyond capoeira alone—Almiro sought to make an impact on the welfare and education of youth in both Portland and Salvador, inspired by educational projects he experienced in his own youth.

As founder and executive director of the Bahia Brazil Art Center, Almiro continues to provide leadership and hands-on management of cultural exchange programs. He currently teaches Brazilian arts classes related to Capoeira Regional, including training in martial arts, musical instruments, dance, and song. His sister Valdizia heads BBAC operations in Bahia, Brazil, maintaining the connection to his homeland.

Mestre Almiro has worked for many years to accommodate U.S. students while preserving the integrity of the traditional art of Capoeira Regional do Mestre Bimba—a mission that honors his brief but significant role in the succession of Bimba's historic school.