Capoeira Music by Mestre Waldemar

About Mestre Waldemar

Mestre ValdemarWaldemar Rodrigues da Paixão 1916-1990

” My name is Waldemar Rodrigues da Paixão, also known as Mestre Waldemar do Pero Vaz.

I am practicing Capoeira for 46 years now, where after 4 years of practicing I started to teach.

I am considerate as the oldest Capoerista in Bahia after Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha. I had four Mestres as my teachers: Siri de Mague, Canário Pardo, Ricardo and Talabi. All of them were good and I learned from each one. So I need to give the credits to them all.

I started practicing Capoeira at 1936, where at 1940 I started teaching at “Pero Vaz”.

The Capoeira got my mind, I liked it. I fell in love with Capoeira, like we see a nice woman and fall in love I saw a roda at “Periperi”,  All the old Mestres were there and I asked to learn. At those times there wasn’t any Academy. There was only that roda in Periperi and the Academy was everywhere there was a good shadow from the sun…

A lot of Capoeristas came from all around, there was no need to publish the Roda, everyone knew that Sunday evening it’s the Capoeria time. each one brought his own Berimbau.

The one who taught my how to play Berimbau was Siri de Mangue. To sing, no one taught my. you can teach how to sing but if you don’t have a nice voice nothing will help, we born with the right voice.

In my times, when Capoerista lift his leg he knew he would hit, so he stopped the kick there was no need to really hit. I used to mark 3 times, the 4rth I already kicked because after the 3rd time you already know how to defend yourself. If those rabos-de-arraia hits, you fall down and don’t stand up back.

But this thing belongs to the Angola, where you only mark 3 times and hit the 4rth when The other is not ready. Those days it’s different. people hit 5-6 times without understanding why.

In my times, Mestre got a lot of respect, at my Roda, my students gave me a lot of respect They weren’t doing anything if I wasn’t telling them to do.”

Mestre Waldemar is also knows as Waldemar da Liberdade or Waldemar do Pero vaz because of the name of the neighborhood and the street he was teaching. Mestre Waldemar made a tent (barracão do Waldemar) in “Corta-Braço” (bairro da Liberdade as knows today) where he made his Rodas every Sunday. He also thought at Rampa do Mercado na Cidade Baixa.

In the 50’s his famous Capoeira and tent brought academics, journalists, artist and famous Capoeristas to participate in his Rodas. Mestre Waldemar is also famous because of his abilities to sing and play Berimbau. He also used to manufacture Berimbaus and paint them with colorful colors.

Unfortunately, In his late age Mestre Waldemar wasn’t able to play Capoeira and Berimbau because of the Parkinson disease.

Also check ” Campo do Mandinga” project that offers historical recordings CD of Mestre Waldemar as a donation to Mestre Bigodinho !

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