Mestre Barrão
Encyclopedia
First Mestre: Mestre Pirajá
Marcos "Barrão" DaSilva was born in RecifeRecife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
in 1961 into a state of poverty. He displayed an early talent for the drums with which he earned his keep as a lad. At the age of 13, Mestre Pirajá (who was taught by his brother, a student of Mestre Bimba
Mestre Bimba
Manuel dos Reis Machado, commonly called Mestre Bimba , was a mestre of the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira.-Early life:Machado is said to have had two birth certificates, dated 1899 and 1900, respectively...
) took young Marcos under his wing and started to teach him Capoeira. An academy capoeirista
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
by trade, Mestre Pirajá taught Barrão the techniques and discipline of Capoeira.
Second Mestre: Mestre Teté
After three years of training Barrão, Mestre Pirajá left on a sabbatical and Mestre Teté took over. Mestre Teté taught him the ways of the Street Capoeirista. It was through this training that Mestre Barrão learned the cunning needed to survive in a Capoeira and how to effectively apply his techniques to any roda.Legacy
Mestre Barrão began to enter tournaments and was crowned the Brazilian Champion in the National Capoeira Championships in Rio de Janeiro. He opened his school, Grupo Axé CapoeiraGrupo Axé Capoeira
Grupo Axé Capoeira is one of the many Capoeira Grupos around the world. It can be classified as a school that teaches "Contemporary Capoeira" . Mestre Barrão's philosophy is that Capoeira must always change/evolve to improve itself and has been striving to see this purpose achieved...
, in 1982, passing on his vast knowledge and experience. In 1987, he was given the honour and rank of 1st Degree Mestre by Mestre Pirajá. He moved to Vancouver and opened an academy there. In 2007, he launched an academy in his hometown of Recife and currently resides there.
Mestre Barrão has been invited to teach, conduct workshops and conduct Batizados all over the world and is the recipient of many awards. He was instrumental in re-introducing a dance known as Coco de Roda.
Currently, he has dedicated his life to being at the forefront of the evolution of Capoeira and passes on this philosophy to all 20,000 members of his school.