Mestre Daniel Canedo

Mestre Daniel Canedo was born on March 8, 1961, in the Jardim Primavera neighborhood of Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro. His capoeira journey began informally in the early 1970s, learning in the streets with Jaime, Alberto, and Rubens—a common entry point for young capoeiristas in urban Rio before joining formal academies.

In the mid-1970s, Daniel joined the Associação de Capoeira Josias da Silva, where he was baptized by Mestre Josias, receiving his apelido. He trained under Josias from the mid-1970s through the late 1980s, absorbing the Regional style that Josias had inherited from Mestre Paulo Gomes and the broader Baixada Fluminense tradition.

In the late 1980s, Daniel made a pivotal move: relocating to Canavieiras, a coastal town in southern Bahia. There he would establish the first active capoeira academy in the municipality. His first academy operated at the Clube Social de Canavieiras, where he trained over 100 students—an impressive achievement for a town that had no formal capoeira instruction before his arrival.

Daniel trained a generation of capoeiristas who would become mestres themselves: Lucas, Barriga, Naval, and Isaque. Mestre Lucas, born in 1974, began training under Daniel in the early 1980s. On May 5, 1993, Daniel and Lucas co-founded the Associação de Capoeira Adeptos de Zumbi (ACAZ), initially operating from a room at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Canavieiras.

In 1994, Daniel relocated to Salvador, Bahia. Though he ceased active practice due to gout arthritis, he maintained an advisory role with Mestre Lucas, who took over leadership of ACAZ alongside Mestres Barriga and Naval. Under their stewardship, ACAZ has operated continuously for over 31 years, serving approximately 3,000 people annually through its programs.

Daniel Canedo's legacy is that of a cultural bridge: bringing the Baixada Fluminense capoeira tradition—descended from Paulo Gomes, Artur Emídio, and ultimately the Bahian masters—back to Bahia itself, where it took root in Canavieiras and flourished under his students.