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| Mestre Nô Norival Morreira de Oliveira was born in Coroa, Itaparica, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on June 22, 1945. His grandfather gave him his first capoeira lessons when he was 4 years old. At 7, Norival and his family moved to Massaranduba, a poor neighborhood neat the church of Bom Fim. Mestre Nilton and Mestre Cutica, brothers and highly respected capoeiristas who lived down the block, took young Norival to meet the elder Masters Pirro and Zeca. Pirro, Zeca and Nilton organized and commanded many capoeira rodas in the streets. On special occasions, Mestre Traira, Mestre Waldemar and other Mestres from Liberdade, another poor neighborhood known for its large population of African descendants, got together and organized incredible rodas; 20 masters would show up to sing quadros, corridos, ladainhas, play berimbau, pandeiro and jogar or play capoeira. Norival was always present at these capoeira rodas, but he did not yet enter the circle. These rodas were reserved only for mestres. During an intense Capoeira roda, in front of a church one Sunday afternoon, mestre Nilton told Norival to "buy the game". Norival began playing in the Mestre's rodas and in 1965 he started teaching in his own academy of capoeira angola. Mestre Nô has been teaching capoeira for over thirty years. He founded Capoeira Angola Academies Retintos, Orixas da Bahia, and Capoeira Angola Palmares. He has taught thousands of capoeiristas and is called the Mestre dos Mestres or Master of Masters for having graduated an exceptionally large numbers of masters. He is the founder, president, and grand Master of Associacao Brasileira Cultural de Capoeira Palmares (ABCCP), an organization dedicated to teaching, promoting and maintaining the traditions of Capoeira Angola. Today, Mestre Nô lives with his wife, children and grand children in Boca Do Rio, Salvador. He teaches capoeira in Pituba and travels throughout Brazil helping and guiding the many academies of ABCCP. http://www.geocities.com/palmares_seattle/ (picture and text courtesy of Capoeira Angola Palmares de Seattle) |