Mestre Acordeon is a native of Salvador, Bahia, and is one the most notable personalities in the world of Capoeira, a martial art. He was a legendary student of Mestre Bimba and won several Brazilian National championships in the 1970s. Acordeon founded the Grupo Folclorico da Bahia in 1966 which greatly impacted capoeira at the time. He has founded several capoeira schools, including the Associação K-poeira with Mestre Onça in São Paulo (1968).