In
his native Brazil, Mestre Bayano witnessed how vulnerable
young people can be to the negative influences of the streets.
He noticed children falling prey to drugs, alcohol, violence
and a life of crime.
He
also saw others resist those temptations and turn their
lives around. The key was capoeira, the Brazilian art of
fight and dance, which is growing in popularity across United
States and around the world. Capoeira builds discipline,
confidence, and physical strength by combining the tactics
of martial arts and dance.
He has been practicing capoeira for twenty-five years. Teaching
and performing capoeira all over the United States and overseas
including in Portugal, Spain, Italy and France. A driving
mission of his work has been to introduce capoeira to children
and teenagers in order for themto acquire the discipline
and self-respect that the martial art offers to stay focused
and healthy.
Mestre
Bayano, who earned the coveted rank of capoeira master under
the venerable Mestre Cesar Di Alabama, runs capoeira academies
at five different locations in northern New Jersey. His
academies boast numerous success stories of young people
with social or health problems who overcame their struggles,
even dramatically improving their conditions.Other young
people who have not necessarily faced great adversity have
nonetheless gained more confidence and attained greater
levels of fitness through their training. He also holds
workshops in schools around the United States and Brazil.
Mestre Bayano is the founder and president of The Cultural
Association of Brazilian Arts (CAOBA), which uses Brazilian
culture and arts to expand the horizons of non-Brazilian
youth and adults. It also teaches them the tools for personal,
social, and fitness growth through capoeira.He has been
featured on ABC, Fox, and the major Spanish-language TV
stations Univision and Telemundo.Apart from his cultural
association and academy work,
Mestre Bayano is a head trainer for Bally Total Fitness
in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. He has conducted capoeira
workshops at nearly every Bally Total Fitness center in
the
tri-state area.
He
is also a professional fighter with the team Edson Carvalho,
which takes part in numerous martial arts events.Mestre Bayano
played professional soccer for seven years in Brazil and later
for Boston University and Columbia University. He received
his Masters degree in physical education at the Federal University
of Espirito Santo.