Grão Mestre Nô

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Norival Moreira de Oliveira (born June 22, 1945), also known as Mestre Nô is a Grand Master of Capoeira Angola, who was initiated into the art at the age of four.

He was born in Coroa, Itaparica, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. At 7, Norival and his family moved to Massaranduba, a poor neighborhood not far from the church of Bomfim. Mestre Nilton and Mestre Cutica, brothers and highly respected capoeiristas who lived down the block, took young Norival to meet the elder masters Pirró and Zeca. Pirró, Zeca and Nilton organized and commanded many capoeira angola rodas in the streets.

Norival began playing in the mestre's rodas and in 1965 he started teaching in his own academy. Mestre Nô founded Capoeira Academies Retintos, Orixás da Bahia and Capoeira Angola Palmares. He has taught to thousands of capoeristas. He is founder, president, and grand master of Associação Brasileira Cultural de Capoeira Palmares (ABCCP) an organization dedicated to teaching, promoting and maintaining the traditions of Capoeira Angola. He served as the president of A.B.C.A. (Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola), the most respected association created by the eldest masters to maintain and preserve Capoeira Angola. Mestre Nô is known throughout the world to be the "mestre dos mestres", the "master of masters", for having graduated over 75 students to the level of Master, which is unique for any teacher to accomplish in their lifetime.

Today, Mestre Nô lives with his family and grand children in Boca do Rio, Salvador. His Academy is near his home. He travels throughout Brazil, the US, Europe, and other parts of the world helping Capoeiristas reach their goals. Each year there is an international forum to train and develop the students and teachers of CAPOEIRA ANGOLA PALMARES in Boca do Rio, Bahia, Brazil.