Filhos De Bimba
Filhos de Bimba Escola de Capoeira
[Sons of Bimba School of Capoeira]
Filhos de Bimba Escola de Capoeira was founded in 1986 by Manoel Nascimento Machado (Mestre Nenel). Mestre Nenel, son of Mestre Bimba, the creator of Capoeira Regional, is the president of the school and together with his team of teachers it carries out the objectives of its constitution and those of the Mestre Bimba Foundation This is done through classes in capoeira, berimbau and singing, making musical instruments, talks, workshops, seminars, festivals and cultural shows. They follow the traditions of Mestre Bimba showing baptisms, graduations, basic and specialised courses. The school also develops projects with disadvantaged children.
The organisation passes on the cultural legacy of Mestre Bimba, seeing capoeira as a form of citizenship. Due to the power that capoeira has to captivate people, through it we are able to work on respect, limits, discipline and development of self-esteem, without differentiating between social class, race, culture, nationality, age, sex, or physical capacity.
The first place that Mestre Nenel started his classes was in the neighbourhood of Vale das Pedrinhas with Mestres Moizes, one of Mestre Bimba’s students. Mestre Nenel’s first students were his sister Nalvinha, Bira Nalvinha’s son, and (the now Professor) Garrincha, who came to the class at 6 o’clock in the morning before they had to go to work. Mestre Nenel soon felt it was necessary to find his own space, so he moved to the Academy GAG in the neighbourhood of Nordeste de Amaralina. It wasn’t long before more students started to come to his classes, such as those who are today Mestre Charangueiro, Mestre Cangurú, Professor Saguin, Professor Pisca Pisca, Professor Macaquinho, Estagiario Gaivota, Estagiaria Pombinha, Risadinha, Mainar, Professora Cunhã, Leão, Mestre Truvão, and others. In the GAG Filhos de Bimba started to take shape into what Mestre Nenel wanted and he was invited to teach Capoeira in Liceu de Arte e Oficio da Bahia in 1990, while his student Professor Saguin opened a class in the university Facudade da Bahia, where Mestre Nenel also had a class in 1990.
While Filhos de Bimba was still growing, Mestre Nenel met Fred Abreu, who asked Mestre Nenel to create a Capoeira project with boys who don’t have anything to do except play in the street. Mestre Nenel accepted and appointed Professor Saguin to lead on the project which was called Capoeré. The name is a conjunction of the words Capoeira and Eré who is the Candomblé spirit that takes the form of a boy who just wants to play at the end of the ritual. From that project came great capoeiristas who are now Professor Pequeno Mestre, Professor Bocão, Homem Pedra, Leitinho, Mutún, Furacão, Piró, Frozinha, Imaculada, Neguinha and others in 1990.
So Filhos de Bimba grew further; Mestre Nenel had a good relationship with all of Mestre Bimba’s students, who gave him a lot of support to bring back the traditions of Mestre Bimba such as Seqüência, Cintura Despresada, specialisation courses, ‘Emboscada’ meaning ambush, game rhythms like Flore and Esquete, the music ‘Charanga’ of Capoeira such as Quadras and Corridos played to a certain rhythm using the pandeiro, claps and berimbau, how to play the rhythms of São Bento Grande, Banguela, Cavalaría, Idalina, Amazonas, Santa Maria, and São Bento Pequeno of Capoeira Regional, which is the hymn and uses the rhythm of the following verse:
Ponha laranja no chao tico tico
Se meu amor for sibora eu nao fico
Minha tualha se põe nesse bico
Botei pra cuara caiu no pinico
As well as all of this, Filhos de Bimba brings back the Bahian folklore with Maculelé, Puxada de Rede, Samba de Roda with Mãe Alice Nalvinha, and a lot of other people who have done Samba with Mestre Bimba.
A lot of great people form part of Filhos de Bimba Escola de Capoeira and the Mestre Bimba Foundation, which was born in 1999. To name a few of these people there are: Mestre Nenel, President; Fred Abreu, Vice President; collaborators Boinhã, Cafuné, Borracha, Pulinho, Decanio, Jair Moura, Escurinho, Medicina, Itapoã, Acordeon, Diamante, Gigante, Formiga, Preguiça and many more. The other Mestre and teachers are: Mestre Cangurú; Professores (yellow scarf) Garrincha, Saguin, Castanha, Pelicano, Preguiça, Crocadilho; (red scarf) Bacteria, Pequeno Mestre, Bocão, Comprido, Tartaruga, Caverna; (blue scarf) Pardal, Berimbau, Anun, Pombinha, Cupin, Pingo de Ouro, Mandinga, Coca Cola.
There are also many other capoeiristas who are working to help and support Filhos de Bimba and the Mestre Bimba Foundation around the world. I apologise for any names I have missed out
If you are interested in taking part in a workshop, learn Capoeira Regional in its authentic and original setting, take a Berimbau course, or learn Maculelé, Puxada de Rede, Samba and much more, I would like to give you Mestre Nenel’s contact:
Telephone number: +55 71 33225082
Email: menenel@hotmail.com