Mestre Preguiça

Waldenkolk Oliveira, known as Mestre Preguiça, was born in June 1947 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, in the Periperí neighborhood. He began training capoeira as a child in his neighborhood under Gilson Capoeira, later continuing his studies at Mestre Bimba's academy in Salvador.

In 1963, Preguiça moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he would become one of the founding members of what would become Grupo Senzala. In 1965, he joined the folkloric group "Vem Camará", where many future Senzala members congregated.

In 1967, Preguiça and Gato represented Grupo Senzala at the first Berimbau de Ouro tournament held at Feira da Providência around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. They won. They won again in 1968. When they attempted to enter the third competition in 1969, the Capoeira Association barred them, declaring that their record had earned them recognition as masters—not students. Preguiça and Gato protested they were students, not masters. The association replied that two consecutive victories had established their master status. Unable to compete, they trained Mosquito and Borracha, who won the third Berimbau de Ouro, permanently securing the trophy for Senzala.

Preguiça trained Nestor Capoeira (born 1946), who became his primary student from 1968 to 1990. Nestor later became one of capoeira's most influential writers and teachers.

In 1976, Preguiça earned a physical education degree from an Austrian university, demonstrating his commitment to formal education alongside his capoeira mastery.

Preguiça later founded Omulu Guanabara Capoeira, continuing the Senzala tradition while establishing his own lineage. He eventually relocated to California, USA, where he continues teaching capoeira in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles region. His group Omulu Capoeira maintains the Senzala methodology while adapting to American contexts.

Mestre Preguiça remains one of the surviving founding red cords of Grupo Senzala, contributing to the collaborative leadership model that defines this influential capoeira organization.