Mestre Bezerra

Antonio Bezerra dos Santos, known as Mestre Bezerra, was born on June 20, 1944, in the Pratinha (Icoaraci) neighborhood of Belém, Pará. In 1966 he went to São Luís, Maranhão, where he began studying capoeira under Mestre Roberval Serejo, founder of Grupo Bantu de Capoeira (Academia Bantu) — the first formally organized capoeira group in Maranhão, based in the São Pantaleão neighborhood.

In 1970 he received his mestre graduation from Sergio Luiz de Souza Vieira, a capoeirista who would go on to become a national leader in the field (later serving as president of the Brazilian Capoeira Confederation from 1992 to 2004 and of the International Capoeira Federation since 1999). The following year, 1971, Bezerra began teaching on his own.

Back in his home state, he founded Grupo Zumbi de Capoeira in Belém on March 15, 1972 — the city's first capoeira group. On October 8, 1974, he held the first batizado (graduation ceremony) of Pará capoeira, promoting twelve students and decisively contributing to the organization and consolidation of the art form in the state. Over his career he trained approximately twelve mestres, contra-mestres, and instructors.

Researchers of Pará capoeira history (Luiz Augusto Pinheiro Leal and Fabio Araújo Fernandes) place Bezerra among three mestres who, during the 1970s 'hippie era,' restructured capoeira in Pará — alongside Mestre Mundico (Pará-born, self-taught) and Mestre Romão (from Rio de Janeiro, a disciple of Mestre Zé Pedro who later turned to capoeira angola). Per the authors, each projected a distinct version of capoeira onto the local territory; Bezerra is described as the one who developed the sport-oriented aspects of the art in the region, representing an encounter between the area's historical local capoeira and the tradition brought from Maranhão.

Among his students was Fátima Colombiano, the future Mestra Cigana, who began practicing capoeira with Bezerra in Pará in 1970, before later moving to Salvador and being consecrated mestra by Mestre Canjiquinha in 1980 — becoming the first woman recognized as a capoeira mestra in Brazil.

A practitioner of both Capoeira Angola and Regional, Bezerra also engaged in social and educational projects in Belém, including Projeto Raízes and initiatives linked to Fundação Curro Velho. He is a lifetime member of the International Capoeira Confederation and sits on IPHAN's Capoeira Advisory Council for Pará.