Mestre Suassuna: his biography and take on Capoeira, styles, and today’s groups. 3/4
Continuing the posts on Mestre Suassuna’s biography, in this third post he shares more of trips to Salvador and the cultural context of that time. He also shares his experience with the beginning of the folkloric groups, Capoeira Angola and Regional, and why he believes Mestres Pastinha and Bimba surpassed the others.
This post on Mestre Suassuna’s life is a translation (made by me) from the chapter “Reynaldo Ramos Suassuna. Mestre Suassuna by himself” in Mestre Deputado’s book “Menino Quem foi teu Mestre?”(2004).
Mestre Suassuna’s statements can be taken as an example to help us reflect upon the early cultural context of Capoeira in Bahia, the beginning of the groups with the folkloric troupes, inter-group and inter-style interaction, and the first spreading of Capoeira from Bahia to Brazil.
Reynaldo Ramos Suassuna
Mestre Suassuna, by himself!
Part Three
“Then I would go to Salvador work with exhibitions, shows with Canjiquinha, Gato, Caiçara and all those people; I was a young boy, but I was developing myself and Capoeira took off. Amongst the Mestres there was some sort of a jealousy, a dispute, each of them disputing with his group in Bahia, the so called Folkloric Centres. There were several of these centres, with its restaurants and the Mestres were invited. Canjiquinha did his show in Ondina, in the Belvedere. Gato also had his group, however, the most required was, indeed, Canjiquinha. So there was that fight of one trying to the other’s place. There wasn’t any fight, but there was discussions amongst them. And it was not possible to take part in two groups at the same time, but we could leave one group and join the other. And there were also those people without an academy, but who would come into a place and ask: “Are you a capoeirista?” And in this way they would set their group. To this group, belonged some people with potencial. In Bahia, if one would like to set a folkloric group of a high level, there was practically no work; all one need to do is to place the components in the right place. Still today it’s like that; there are many good people there. It’s only a matter of wanting to set the show.
I used to play in Mestre Bimba’s academy, in Pastinha’s, in Canjiquinha’s, very often I would be hanging out with João Pequeno, with João Grande, playing at the market [Mercado Modelo]. I was quite an undisciplined student from this perspective, because what I wanted, in fact, was to learn, and I didn’t want to follow an specific line in Capoeira. I learnt to like all Capoeira, as a whole. And there were good things in Bimba’s that didn’t happen in Canjiquinha’s, and vice versa, what was good in Canjiquinha’s that didn’t happen in Bimba’s. So I thought, I’ll get what is good in all them, and learn everything, and keep with a more or less good material.
There was huge difference between people from Angola and people from Regional. Bimba’s student whenever they came to a roda, was to fight, even though at the beginning he didn’t have the intention, he would fight. It was a problem of knowing how to mingle that I didn’t have. Camisa Roxa didn’t have this problem too, he was also a frequent in every Rodas. There was some hassles but from the common kind amongst capoeiristas; when one wants to apply his knowledge in a roda and the other bloke do not accept it, then begin those turmoil. But at end of the day it all ended well.
In Regional, the outstanding name is Bimba, for he was who created it. But in Angola, there were several men of importance, as they exist today. Pastinha is the most renown, once he was the most remarkable one. In that epoch, he was already outstanding because he taught exclusively at Pelourinho, where the folkloric centre was established. Besides that, Pastinha had the support of Jorge Amado and other writers. Tourists would visit and watch. There was also Mestre Caiçara, there was this Jon Doe, the bloke So-and-So, but they didn’t have a folkloric center. Caiçara didn’t even had a folkloric centre… Others would be jumping from one group to another, but Pastinha was established. It wasn’t quite a folkloric centre there, it was more like an encounter of capoeiristas: old and new capoeiristas, visitors. It was a Roda de Capoeira. The other would work more with Maculelê exhibitions, Puxada de Rede, and exactly because of that Pastinha surpassed the others.”
To be continued…
Reference
Souza, W. (2004) Menino Quem foi Teu Mestre?. Ed. Independente.
Tags: Cordão de Ouro, Mestre Suassuna, suassuna teaching method
