Reinaldo Ramos Suassuna also known as “Mestre Suassuna”, was born in Bahia, Brazil on July 3rd, 1938 in Ilhéus and raised in Itabuna.
Due to a physical handicap in his legs when he was young, the doctor recommended that he plays a sport that was not soccer. With his friends recommendation, he started training Capoeira.
He frequently went to the street roda where famous mestres like Mestre Sururu, Bigode de Arame and Maneca Brandão were playing.
To expand his knowledge, he frequently visited Terreiros de Capoeira da Bahia (famous place where Afro-Brazilian rites were performed) to see famous mestres like Mestre Bimba, Canjiquinha, Pastinha, Waldemar and Caiçara. His Capoeira style was heavily influenced by Mestre Bimba and Canjiquinha there.
In 1965, with the invitation of his friends, he left Bahia to moved to São Paulo to open an academy and lead the life of Capoeira. At the beginning it was very hard for him to establish himself where he was far away from his home and friends. He had to work at various jobs and went through financial difficulties. After a lot of struggle, he met some people from Itabuna that took him to Ze Freita’s Academy where he met Mestre Brasilia. In 1967, together with Mestre Brasilia, he founded the “Associação de Capoeira Cordão de Ouro”.
Today, Mestre Suassuna is one of the most important and respected mestres in the Capoeira world. He is particularly known for his creation and development of the “Miudinho.”
* For more information of Mestre Suassuna’s work and group, please visit the official website here (Portuguese).