Mestre Marco Aurélio

Marco Aurélio was one of the pioneering capoeiristas who helped establish Capoeira Angola outside of Bahia, training under Mestre Moraes in Rio de Janeiro during the 1970s.

Marco Aurélio began training with Mestre Moraes shortly after Moraes arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1970 for his military service. By July 1975, he was part of the group training at Clube Gurilandia in Botafogo, alongside fellow students Braga, Neco, Peçanha (later known as Cobra Mansa), Zé Carlos, Mano, Tete, and others. Moraes taught them the Angola tradition he had learned from "o velho" (Mestre Pastinha) through his own teachers João Grande and João Pequeno.

In December 1975, Marco Aurélio made a pivotal journey to Salvador with a group that included Moraes, Braga, Neco, Zé Carlos, Tete, and Amalha. On December 28, the group went to Bahia—but their first day sightseeing at the Mercado Modelo ended in an unexpected arrest: the whole group was detained due to a theft of a "dobrão" right after Neco had asked how much one cost. Despite this incident, they met Mestre Pastinha, who remembered Moraes by his childhood nickname "Pedrinho". The group remained in Salvador for January, participating in Bonfim festival celebrations featuring Angola roda dancing.

According to Marco Aurélio, word had spread through Rio about Moraes: "an African was visiting the rodas of the city, who played a different capoeira". This quote captures how distinctive Moraes' Angola style was compared to the capoeira being practiced in Rio at the time.

On December 16, 1978, at Parque Lage in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Marco Aurélio was promoted to Contra-Mestre in a ceremonial advancement alongside his colleagues Braga, Neco, and Zé Carlos, who received the rank of Mestre. Mestres Camisa and Preguiça attended as honored guests. This was a historic event—these were the first mestres of Capoeira Angola formed outside of Bahia.

On October 5, 1980, at 3:00 PM at a craft fair in Cosme Velho in Rio's south zone, Marco Aurélio was among the founding members of the Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho (GCAP). Present at the founding were the mestres Neco, Moraes, Braga, and Zé Carlos, along with Contra-Mestres Marco Aurélio and Peçanha. The founding idea originated from Mestre Neco, who envisioned an organization to unite the Rio mestres and oppose the Brazilian military government's suppression of African culture. Mestre Braga designed the group's iconic logo—a berimbau and two zebras fighting, symbolizing capoeira's African origins in the n'golo tradition.

In 1982, before Mestre Moraes returned definitively to Salvador, he promoted Marco Aurélio to the rank of Mestre. Moraes left the young Rio mestres—Braga, Neco, Zé Carlos, and Marco Aurélio—with full autonomy and responsibility to continue his teachings.

Marco Aurélio subsequently started a capoeira angola group in Niterói, where Mestre Armandinho was among the standout students.

A 1991 video commemorating ten years of activities of GCAP Rio de Janeiro, produced by Antonio Carlos Muricy, features Marco Aurélio among the great angoleiros, alongside Mestres Moraes, Neco Pelourinho, Zé Carlos, Braga, Armandinho, Angolinha, Lumumba, Rogério, Valmir, Brinco, and Manoel.

Marco Aurélio also participated in GCAP leadership. At the inauguration of a GCAP board of directors (with Neco as president, Braga as secretary, and Lumumba as treasurer), there was a workshop and capoeira angola roda featuring Mestres Zé Carlos and Marco Aurélio, as well as visiting Mestres Moraes and Cobra Mansa.

Today, Marco Aurélio remains committed to the rescue and preservation of Capoeira Angola.