Mestre Cabeludo born Antonio Sergio Pinho Freire de Carvalho on the 18th October 1968, in the city of Salvador, Bahia. His introduction to Capoeira took place early, through his father, Rodolfo Sousa Freire de Carvalho, the "Grisalho", who was a student of the late Mestre Bimba (1899-1974), creator of regional capoeira. His mother, Dona Nailda Alves Pinho, was undoubtedly one of the ones responsible for the creation of the Group, Porto da Barra, which used the house where her family used to live.
Mestre Cabeludo grew up in the neighborhood known at the time as Roça do Lobo, today the current neighbourhood of Barris, a traditional place for the practice of capoeira.
At the age of 17, Mestre Cabeludo joined the academy founded by Mestre Bimba, located in Pelourinho, Salvador's Historic Center. In this space, Mestre Cabeludo had as his tutors Mestre Vermelho, who had been one of Mestre Bimba's most faithful students and Mestre Bamba. Cabeludo developed easily and quickly in the art of capoeira, being known for his bravery. At the age of 19 he was already driving in the city of Salvador.
Due to the excess of hair on his arms and chest that he had during his adolescence, Mestre Cabeludo was baptised in capoeira with the nickname Cabeludo. Name by which it is now recognised worldwide, inside and outside the capoeira circles.
Mestre Cabeludo was for some years a lifeguard from the city of Salvador, being part of Salvamar. Passionate about adrenaline, he is a lover of sports and martial fights, being a practitioner of surfing, cycling, spearfishing, sand boarding, hiking and trekking. He has also practised boxing, jiu-jitsu and long-board surfing. However, for Mestre Cabeludo, capoeira is the most complete of sports. He believes that Capoeira is sport, culture, music and dance, but above all capoeira is a struggle, created by black slaves as a form of resistance and liberation.
Cabeludo left the Capoeira Mestre Bimba Association in 1993, and on May 17 of the same year, as Contra Mestre de Capoeira, he founded the Porto da Barra Regional Capoeira Group, with the aim of preserving and propagating the foundations and traditions of regional capoeira created by Mestre Bimba.
The headquarters of the Porto da Barra Group is a traditional academy located in the neighborhood where he spent his childhood, the Barrios neighbourhood. Despite being young, Mestre Cabeludo is currently one of the greatest defenders of traditional Capoeira Regional. His teachings are based on those of his Mestre Vermelho following the principles and methodology disseminated and created by the great Mestre Bimba. His Group adopts the musical instruments used by Bimba, a berimbau and two tambourines. Porto da Barra also follows the methodology based on the Sequence of Mestre Bimba and works with low-waisted movements. The Capoeira Group Porto da Barra has been growing rapidly, spreading through several cities and states in Brazil and the world.
Mestre Cabeludo and the Porto da Barra Group have been developing serious and professional work, holding the Capoeira Regional flag, spreading the foundations and traditions of this art-fight to different countries in the world. Porto da Barra is composed of women, men and children of different nationalities, social classes, creeds and colors.
Currently, the Group is present in several locations in Spain, Canada, Portugal, Australia, Belgium, Sweden, Puerto Rico, United States, Mexico and Argentina, in Brazilian states and also in several cities in the state of Bahia.
As a master, Mestre Cabeludo has been developing a lot, both personally and professionally. He has been constantly improving his teaching techniques and management skills, necessary to guide the Porto da Barra group.
Mestre Cabeludo has the support of his disciples, graduated students and teachers. In 2004 he formed the second master of his group, his childhood friend, Reinaldo, who besides playing capoeira, is also a famous musician of the group Terra Samba.
Today, at the height of his life and career, Cabeludo is a successful young capoeira master in his mission to spread the traditional Capoeira Regional around the world. Every year the mestre makes several international trips in order to take his teachings to other countries, through the practice of Capoeira on open wheels and through educational workshops. For Mestre Cabeludo, capoeira is his passion, his life and his livelihood. In it, Cabeludo found friends and a life goal: to perpetuate Capoeira Regional, Brazilian culture.