Omulu Capoeira Guanabara

Mestre Preguiça

Wandenkolk Manoel De Oliveira, known around the world as Mestre Preguiça, studied under the legendary Mestre Bimba in Bahia, Brazil, from whom he graduated in 1963. Two years later, he moved to Rio de Janeiro and along Rafael Flores Viana and Fernando Cavalcante Albuquerque (Mestre Gato), founded Grupo Senzala, which in time would become arguably the world's most famous Capoeira group in existence.

In the late 60's there were very few competitions open to Capoeiristas. The premier of these being the Berimbau de Ouro (Golden Berimbau). With the help of other capoeiristas, the group was able to enter the competition. On their first attempt at the tournament, to everybody's surprise, the Senzala team featuring Gato and Preguiça won! And then did so again the following year.

On their third attempt, the Capoeira Association prevented Gato and Preguiça from entering claiming that no masters may participate, only students. Gato and Preguiça protested that they were only students, to which the Capoeira Association stated that due to their record over the past two years they were being recognised as Master grades.

As Gato and Preguiça were unable to enter the Berimbau de Ouro, they began to train another team to enter into the tournament. This new team under the technical direction of Mestre Preguiça featured Mosquito (means the same in English) and Borracha (rubber), which won for the third year in succession, definitively capturing the trophy. News of this spread throughout the Brazilian Capoeira community. Many people traveled to see, train and try out this new group of capoeiristas, and the Senzala style of Capoeira soon became the predominant style all over Brazil.

In the 20 years he spent in Rio, Mestre Preguiça graduated 10 Mestres. After touring 23 countries with a Brazilian Dance Company and receiving degrees in physical education in Brazil and Europe, Mestre Preguiça came to the San Francisco Bay Area to expand the art in the United States. In 1986, he founded Omulu Capoeira Group of San Francisco.

Mestre Preguiça has been on the faculty of the Department of Dance at San Francisco State University since 1989, and is a Recreation Director with the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks. He has directed performances at venues including the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zellerbach Auditorium, Dance Mission, Roccapulco, the Stern Grove Festival, the Mayor's Commission for youth, and San Francisco Juvenile Hall.

In 1995 Mestre Preguiça began the Omulu Community Action Project (CAP). He has taught youth classes and workshops at numerous community centers and public schools including Harvey Milk and Mission Recreation Centers, Mission Dolores Gym, Horizons Unlimited, St. Mary's, Mission High and Everett Middle School. Mestre Preguiça's passion for the art and his commitment to helping people improve their lives through Capoeira is admirable and incomparable. In addition to his impressive trajectory, in 2000 Mestre Preguiça also became the first person to graduate a capoeirista to a Master level outside of Brazil, with the formatura of Mestre Carlos Aceituno. Mestre Preguiça's work and dedication has now spread throughout the U.S., with branches in Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Minneapolis, besides the numerous academies throughout the state of California.