Mestre Vermelho 27 Regional

Background, Style, History and Affiliations


Mestre Vermelho 27
Affiliated School or Organisation

Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba (Disciple )

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Mestre Vermelho 27

JOSÉ CARLOS ANDRADE BITTENCOURT, known in the world of Capoeira as Mestre Vermelho 27, disciple of Mestre Bimba, had a very difficult mission in 1972 to preserve the capoeira space, today one of the most important in the world.

Undoubtedly a capoeirista crazy about capoeira, he wisely faced family members, convincing them that capoeira practice was good business. (Which would prove to be a very important mission in his life).

He had a very strong affective bond with Mestre Bimba, he was even a faithful disciple, he had a better purchasing power because he was an employee of PETROBRÁS. Several students were aware of the financial difficulties that Mestre Bimba had been facing, including the proposal received from his student Oswaldo de Souza for him to transfer with his family members to Goiás in search of someone who valued his art more.

Mestre Vermelho 27 decided to continue the teachings of Capoeira Regional, which he managed to assimilate from Mestre Bimba, he had the help of several people, including Mestre Boa Gente, Ferro Velho, Vermelho Boxel, Mestre Bahia, and Mestre Bando, thus making several alliances, not to close the place.

After the death of Mestre Bimbas, several mestres of capoeira got together, with the aim of discussing Capoeira Regional and trying to get as close as possible to the work left by Mestre Bimba.

It was Mestre Vermelho 27 himself who added the 27 to his name for two reasons:

  1. Differentiate himself from another student whose name was also Vermelho: being a student of Mestre Bimba and another student of Mestre Pastinha.
  2. That number 27 was his lucky number at Roulette, where he used to play, and also his car's license plate (according to him this number brought him luck).

Mestre Vermelho never denied his origins, he was a student of Mestre Bimba until the time of his death, as he was still in bed in a hospital in Salvador receiving serum, with difficulties to speak, he made notes in a small notebook about berimbau notes.

He died on May 18, 1996, due to respiratory failure, and a Berimbau was placed on his remains.

He left his name engraved in the history of capoeira as a mark of the preservation of this immense cultural heritage.

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