Mestre Paulo Flores

Paulo Flores Viana is one of the founding mestres of Grupo Senzala and a pioneering figure who helped establish capoeira in Rio de Janeiro's academic and cultural landscape. Born in Rio de Janeiro—the only one of the three Flores brothers not born in Bahia—Paulo grew up with strong ties to Salvador through his family's roots in Brazil's capoeira heartland.

In early 1963, during school vacations in Salvador, Paulo and his brother Rafael spent two months training at Mestre Bimba's legendary academy. A capoeirista cousin had introduced Paulo to the academy, and this intensive training under the master of Capoeira Regional would prove foundational. Some sources also indicate the brothers trained with Mestre Pastinha, exposing them to Capoeira Angola traditions as well.

Upon returning to Rio de Janeiro later in 1963, Paulo organized weekly training sessions on the terrace of the apartment building where the Flores family lived in the Laranjeiras neighborhood. These informal gatherings on the rooftop terrace quickly attracted local youth. Paulo was reluctant at first—"I am only a student, so how can I teach you?" he reportedly told Fernando (later Mestre Gato), who had witnessed Paulo's impressive skills at a party. But the young Bahian relented, and the terrace sessions grew.

In 1962, before the Bahia training, Paulo had begun learning capoeira in Rio at Academia Santana, run by Mestre Valdo Santana—brother of the famous fighter Valdemar Santana. This early exposure in Rio combined with his Bahian training to give Paulo a unique perspective bridging the two capoeira centers.

The founding nucleus of what would become Grupo Senzala took shape around the Flores brothers' terrace: Paulo, Rafael, and Gilberto Flores, along with Gato, Gil Velho, Garrincha, Itamar, Peixinho, Danadinho, Preguiça, and Sorriso—teenagers who trained together and would become the generation to revolutionize capoeira teaching methodology.

In 1964, Academia Santana invited Paulo Flores and Gato to represent them at the Berimbau de Prata competition in Santa Teresa. Remarkably, the young capoeiristas placed third, competing against established groups including Mestre Artur Emídio's.

The group moved from the Laranjeiras terrace to Largo de Machado in 1966. That same year, during an exhibition at the German Club (Clube Germânico), Paulo Flores suggested the name "Grupo Senzala"—a powerful political and cultural statement referencing the slave quarters where enslaved Africans were held on Brazilian plantations. The name declared capoeira's connection to resistance and liberation.

In 1967, with the help of friends Tabosa and Fritz from Brasília, Grupo Senzala entered the prestigious Berimbau de Ouro tournament. The group won the championship for three consecutive years (1967-1969), permanently securing the trophy and establishing Senzala as a force in Brazilian capoeira. The group's success brought national attention to their innovative teaching methods.

Mestre Gato later reflected on the collaborative nature of their success: "Rafael of Bahia, Paulo born in Rio and Gato from Pernambuco formed the triple base of the future Grupo Senzala". This geographic diversity—Bahia, Rio, and Pernambuco—enriched the group with different regional perspectives and styles.

Today, Mestre Paulo Flores remains one of the 17 active cordas vermelhas (red cords) of Grupo Senzala, alongside Danadinho, Gato, Gil Velho, Garrincha, Sorriso, Itamar, Toni Vargas, Ramos, Elias, Amendoim, Beto, Feijão, Samara, Arruda, and Azeite. His brother Rafael passed away on November 5, 2016, at age 68, and Peixinho died in May 2011. But the collaborative leadership model they pioneered continues, with Grupo Senzala having graduated over 96 mestres and influenced the methodology of most major capoeira organizations worldwide.