Mestre Suassuna

Reinaldo Ramos Suassuna also known as Mestre Suassuna, was born in Bahia, Brazil in 1938 in Ilhéus and raised in Itabuna.

Due to a physical handicap in his legs, the doctor recommended that he involve himself in a sport that was not soccer. Under the influence of two friends that had begun Capoeira and his medications, Suassuna started to practice this Brazilian art.

At the beginning of the 1960s, Suassuna shone in Bahia with his Capoeira presentations and consequently many invitations from other states and from abroad were offered.

In 1965, after two of his friends kept on insisting for him to come to São Paulo, he left Bahia and went to the land of the rain with the intention of opening an academy and succeeding in life with Capoeira.

His mission was to develop Capoeira as folklore and as a sport. At the beginning it was very hard; he was far from his friends, he worked at various jobs, went through financial difficulties.

After a lot of struggle, he met some people from Itabuna that took him to Ze Freita’s Academy, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That is where he met Brasilia.

In 1967, together with Mestre Brasilia, he founded the “Associacao de Capoeira Cordão de Ouro”.

Today, Suassuna is dearly liked and respected. He is proud to see that his group’s work is well structured and full of creativity, with members found all over the world.

His many doings include various presentations, the recording of four compact discs, the directing of the Show Group of Cordão de Ouro, the creation and development of the “Miudinho Game” and the conducting of workshops and seminars in several states in Brazil and around the world.