Our Mestre
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.