Mestre Gladson

Gladson de Oliveira Silva, known as Mestre Gladson in the world of capoeira, began his journey in the art in downtown São Paulo in 1966. There, at the Associação de Capoeira Ilha da Maré, he learned under the guidance of Mestre Paulo Gomes da Cruz, a disciple of the legendary Mestre Artur Emídio.

He subsequently trained at the Associação K-Poeira with Mestre Airton Neves Moura, known as Mestre Onça, who was himself a student of Mestre Bimba—the creator of Capoeira Regional. Under Mestre Onça, Gladson learned the fundamentals of Capoeira Regional and completed his formal graduation in the style.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Gladson made several pilgrimages to Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, where he met the mestres of the "Velha Guarda" (Old Guard): Mestre Bimba himself, Mestre Pastinha, Artur Emídio, Djalma Bandeira, Mário Bonfim, and Leopoldina, among others. These encounters deepened his understanding of capoeira's history and traditions.

Mestre Gladson was a pioneer in introducing capoeira to schools and universities. He taught at traditional São Paulo institutions such as Colégio Arquidiocesano and Colégio Nossa Senhora da Consolação. In 1972, just one year after the founding of CEPEUSP (Centro de Práticas Esportivas da Universidade de São Paulo), he presented his proposal to establish capoeira as a physical activity at the University of São Paulo. That same year, he introduced capoeira at both CEPEUSP and the Escola de Educação Física da USP, where it became an elective subject.

At CEPEUSP, Mestre Gladson dedicated over 40 years to developing major initiatives: the Clínicas de Capoeira do CEPEUSP (biennial since 1987), Inter-University Capoeira Tournaments, Brazilian Congresses of School Capoeira, the Seminar of Capoeira and Brazilian Culture, and the Seminar of Capoeira and Citizenship. These programs established USP as a principal reference center for capoeira in Brazil.

On July 14, 1974, Mestre Gladson was among the founders of the Federação Paulista de Capoeira (FPC)—the first capoeira federation in the world. The founding group included Comendador Airton Neves Moura (Mestre Onça), Antônio Gonçalves de Mello (Mestre Mello), Edson Luiz Polim (Mestre Polim), Djamir Pinatti (Mestre Pinatti), Mestre José Andrade, and Edson Luiz Médici D'Eston (Mestre Sanhaço). Gladson served as the federation's Technical Director for 15 years, leading the São Paulo team to four Brazilian Championship titles.

He also held positions as Director of FUPE (Federação Universitária Paulista de Esportes) and CBDU (Confederação Brasileira de Desporto Universitário), and served as a Consultant for the National Institute for the Development of Sport (INDESP) and member of the Council of Masters of the Brazilian Capoeira Confederation (CBC).

Mestre Gladson holds a degree in Physical Education from the Escola Superior de Educação Física de São Caetano. He published two books: "Capoeira do Engenho à Universidade" (first edition 1995) and "Capoeira: Um Instrumento Psicomotor para a Cidadania", the latter co-authored with Contra Mestre Vinícius Heine. Both works are recognized by the capoeira community and used by the São Paulo State Department of Education in its "Sala de Leitura" (Reading Room) Program.

His capoeira school, Projete Liberdade Capoeira, was founded in 1968. The school works to preserve and promote capoeira in its historical, cultural, social, and educational aspects, with presence in Brazil, Argentina (Rosario), Peru (Cusco), and Spain.

Even in retirement, Mestre Gladson maintains social initiatives. His Projeto Porta Aberta has operated for over 25 years in the Capão Redondo neighborhood in the South Zone of São Paulo, serving underprivileged children. He has coordinated capoeira nuclei in Brazilian cities including Pelotas, Porto Alegre, and Vacaria, as well as supervised programs at Fundação Casa in Franco da Rocha.

He has lectured and given workshops internationally in Japan, Russia, the United States, Spain, Germany, Argentina, and Peru, promoting capoeira as a tool for quality of life and biopsychosocial wellbeing.

In September 2024, at 82 years old, Mestre Gladson received the title of Cidadão Paulistano (Honorary Citizen of São Paulo) from the São Paulo Municipal Chamber, recognizing his lifetime of contributions to the art. That same year, he and Vinícius Heine were awarded at the first edition of the Prêmio Ginga Capoeira Literária in Salvador for their literary contributions to capoeira.

He considers himself "an eternal student in life's university", emphasizing that learning doesn't end when one becomes a capoeira master. Over his career spanning more than 50 years, he has trained approximately 5,000 students and graduated five capoeira mestres who worked alongside him for 30 years.