Mestre Bimba

Mestre Bimba (Manuel dos Reis Machado, 1900–1974) was the creator of Capoeira Regional, the more structured and combat-effective style of capoeira. Born in Salvador, Bahia, Bimba was frustrated by the theatrical direction traditional capoeira was taking and developed a new curriculum blending Capoeira Angola with elements of Batuque (a now-extinct Afro-Brazilian fighting art) and other influences. In 1932, he opened the first official capoeira school in Brazil—a revolutionary act at a time when capoeira was illegal. His work legitimized capoeira as a Brazilian martial art and national heritage, leading to its legalization in 1937.