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Antônio Laurindo das Neves
Mestre Totonho de Maré
17/Sep/1894 - 18/Oct/1974
ABC of M Maré
1894 - Was born on 17th September on Ilha de Maré, son of Manoel Gasparino Neves and Margarida Neves.
1918 - Started to learn capoeira.
1936 - Appeared in the words of Samuel de Souza, the «Querido de Deus», and M Bimba (see below).
1937 - Was mentioned by Edison Carneiro in Negros Bantus as capoeirista and a docker.
1941 - Was part of the start of the CECA in Gengibirra.
1968 - Participated in the film called Dança de Guerra, by Jair Moura. The film also contains a bit of vadiação between M Noronha and M Maré.
1974 - On the 13th February gave an interview to Diário de Notícias and on the 8th March featured in Diário de Notícias, Porto Alegre (see below). Died on 18th October.
About M Maré
Samuel de Souza: «There is no doubt that Bimba is strong and fast, but it's an exaggeration to call him the bahian champion of capoeira, because this title deservedly belongs to Maré.»
Jornal Imparcial, 13th March 1936
M Bimba: «I didn't grab the champion's title, as if it were my property, however, I think that it belongs more deservedly to me than to my sport companion Maré, since I challenged by newspapers all the capoeiristas of the State and the only one to climb to the «ring» was the brave adversary Henrique Bahia, whom I managed to beat in front of a numerous audience.
Maré, as the deserver of the maximum title, should appear this time and not in a later news section.»
Diário da Bahia, 13th May 1936
The photo gallery
The text
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-Diário de Pernambuco, 10th March 1974
TOTONHO DE MARÉ
During the time the tram was the main means of transport he showed to be a great capoeira. Mestre Totonho de Maré plays capoeira since 1911. But never founded an academy. Nor had, for example, his "show". But he taught many people, on the street parties in different neighborhoods of Salvador. During many years reigned in Ilha de Maré. For this he gained that nickname. But his name is Antônio Laurinho Neves.
To survive he did everything: was a wagoner, ran a grocery store, was a docker. Without abandoning, of course, capoeira, coming sometimes to Salvador, Largo do Retiro, Rio Vermelho, Bonfim.
Played Capoeira de Angola. Then came Mestre Bimba. Mixed everything. Created a school. There is no doubt about it.
Mestre Totonho de Maré stops. Strokes his head, white as cotton. And stresses:
- He was a great mestre who faught a lot for the valorization of capoeira.
- Has capoeira evolved or not?
- Capoeira de Angola is beautiful, but today it's falsified. It used to be only for the love of the art. That time it didn't cost you anything to play capoeira. But on my time there were no turists...
