My name is Rodrigo Gonçalves, in the world of capoeira people know me as Mestre Casquinha I was born in a small town in São Paulo state in Brazil. My start in capoeira has not been the easiest, as many of the lower-class children in Brazilian families; the income is not the best so I had to work since the age of 11 to help my family. 
 

My mother sewed cloth bags to do my pants so I could train and enjoy the art, I always believed in capoeira as a place to recharge my energies, to always be able to see life in a more lively and healthy way.

​

I first got in contact with capoeira in 1987 in my hometown in Brazil, called Guaratinguetá a small town in the state of São Paulo. 

 

Along with the town hall of my city and the Group Barracão da capoeira lead by my Master Jose Antonio was organized some charity capoeira classes in the area I left, I remember seen capoeira before with the group doing presentations in my school and I was delighted with what the capoeiristas (the person who do capoeira) did with the body. One day my mother arrives in our house after been to the market and said to me that there were some people doing registration to learn capoeira at the local samba school.

I was super excited and I went straightway to sign up, feel weeks later was my first capoeira class and today it's been 30 years since I first started and I still enjoy as much as I did back then, my love for capoeira just got greater.

​

​

​