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Contra Mestre Graveto
Contra Mestre Graveto is the founder and Head of Capoeria Angola Negaça with 20 years of capoeira experience playing and teaching worldwide, founding and managing groups in over 7 states in the US. CM Graveto is a martial arts expert with over 34 years of experience. He is an internationally recognized and demanded teacher in the art of Capoeira Angola-- one of only 4 North Americans to reach the rank of Contra-Mestre in his lineage of study. He travels the world professing in the art while helping to maintain and manage the students he oversees. |
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Mestre Nô
Norival Moreira de Oliveira was born in the village of Coroa, Itaparica Island – just off the coast of the city of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil on June 22, 1945. His grandfather gave him his first Capoeira lesson when he was 4 years old. At 7, Norival and his family moved to Massaranduba, a poor neighborhood near the church of Bom Fim. Masters Nilton and Cutica, brothers and highly respected Capoeiristas lived down the block, took the young Norival to meet the elder Masters Pirro and Zeca.
Masters 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, (a neighborhood known for it’s great people) organized incredible rodas. 20 masters would show up to sing, play berimbau, play pandeiro and vadiar (play Capoeira). Norival was always present at these Capoeira rodas but 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 Master of Capoeira for over forty-five years. His name is known to everyone who is involved in Capoeira. He founded Capoeira Angola Academies Retinos, Orixas Da Bahia and Capoeira Angola Palmares. He has taught thousands of people and is called the “Mestre dos Mestres” or Master of Masters for having graduated over 75 masters. He is founder, president, and grand master of Associação Brasileira Cultural de Capoeira Angola Palmares (ABCCAP) an organization dedicated to teaching, promoting and maintaining the traditions of Capoeira Angola worldwide. Mestre Nô began teaching Capoeira Angola in Ithaca in the late 1990s and Contra Mestre Graveto has received his blessing to teach and lead groups across the country.
Today, Mestre Nô lives with his children and grandchildren in Boca Do Rio, Salvador. He teaches Capoeira at his Academy in Boca do Rio and travels throughout the world instructing and guiding all the Capoeiristas and the many academies of ABCCAP.
A brief map of our Lineage. It always important to know where you get your knowledge from. And even more important to acknowledge the source and honor your teachers.
