My story with Capoeira started in the city of Campos (Rio de Janeiro), where I practiced Capoeira Angola with Mestre Chico from the Group Olinda.
At that time Capoeira was an activity practiced by people who lived at the border of society. When my friends used to see me with the Berimbau in my hands they were saying that I was looking for troubles, but I never took those words seriously.


Shortly afterwards my Mestre became sergeant of the firemen corps and left Capoeira.
Well then I started training by myself, in my house's garden; some kids soon appeared for training with me, therefore I rented a hall in the Corintins club.


In 1976 I founded a Capoeira group, the "Neguinho Humilde Neto de Angola", and, at the same time, I started studying music: I wanted to play the sax, the percussions and to sing in the group "Selessamba" of Campos. My uncle Tião Graùna used to take me to the "rodas de samba" of Vila Isabel: he was playing together with the composer Martinho da Vila, and that's where I discovered my vocation for Samba, music and Capoeira.

In 1978 I moved to Volta Redonda (Rio de Janeiro) for decorating a church and during that period I trained with the "Capoeira Folclore" group.

In 1980, once again for decorating a church, I moved to Campinas. There I came to know the Capoeira Coquinho Baiano Group and I started training with Mestres Godoy and Maya.

In 1983 I started teaching in Cosmopolis, Artur Nogueira e Paulìnia: the seeds of that training generated good fruits and very good Mestres.

I had to stop giving lessons in these places because of my job: at that time I was taking part of the "Partido Alto", a samba group, and playing with Ângela Maria, Benito de Paula, Zeca Pagodinho and Clementina de Jesus. We played many gigs abroad and in Brazil.

When in 1995 we finished our tour dates I started teaching in the city of Sumaré-SP-, in the Sargentendi and Minesota communities and in 2003 I started giving lessons in the "Centro Assistencial Vedruna" too where, apart from Capoeira, I continued to teach percussions, manual ability games with music instruments and sweet flute.
In 2004 the Coquinho Baiano Capoeira Group lounched the CD "Meus Pensamentos- Paz", with some musics composed by my mate Mestre Godoy and I: today it is still an emotion to see all our students singing our musics.