(Mestre Jelon Vieira doesn't live in St. Louis but visits and keeps in contact to supervise the work and progress of Capoeira St. Louis.) 

 Mestre Jelon Vieira founder of Capoeira Luanda, a world renowned master and teacher of capoeira. Born in Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia, Brazil, in 1953. Started training Capoeira Angola at the age of 10 years old with Mestre Emerito and later on continuing with Mestre Bobô. In 1969 he met Mestre Eziquiel with who he studied Capoeira Regional and had the honor to enjoy classes at Mestre Bimba's academy.

Since his arrival in the US in 1975, Mr. Vieira has catalyzed the growing interest in and understanding of Brazilian culture while simultaneously developing and teaching Capoeira. Mr. Vieira teaches capoeira to people of all ages and from all walks of life in both Brazil and the United States. He has taught the soccer great Pele and American movie stars Wesley Snipes and Eddie Murphy. And worked in movies with Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, and the directors Robert Wise and Robert Miller. Although he resides in New York, Mr. Vieira spends several months a year in Brazil. One of his long term goals is to open a center for underprivileged children, using capoeira to build self esteem and self-discipline and to begin moving these children off the streets and into the educational system and mainstream society. Mr. Vieira and Loremil Machado are the pioneer of Capoeira in the United States.

Mr. Vieira has taught in many residency workshops and has been a guest instructor at Yale University's African-American Studies Department for 12 years with Dr. Robert Ferris Thompson. He has also taught at many other universities and colleges including University of Pennsylvania, Denison University, Oberlin College, Columbia University, New York Yniversity, Stanford University, Duke University, University of Nebraska, University of Miami among others. In 2000 he was a guest as Eminent Scholar at Florida University, in Gainesville, FL for a semester.

In 1993, after a decade of collaboration between Tha Capoeira Foundation and the Carver Cultural Community Center, Mr. Vieira and Carver Center Director Jo Long decided to create Ilê Bahia de San Antonio, the House of African-Brazilian Arts. The organization was incorporated in 1993 to establish a professional level instruction and training center in the African-Brazilian performing arts. Special emphasis is placed on training at-risk, minority youth in a positive and culturally affirming activity.

What is Capoeira for me?
"Capoeira is what I am. It is my life philosophy. Through the art of Capoeira I have learned about life and freedom. Because of Capoeira I stay in contact with my ancestors and my culture. It keeps my body and mind healthy and gives me a strong connection with my spirit so that I am able to enjoy every moment of what Life has to offer me. Capoeira has given me such tremendous respect for Life and has kept me focused in my journey to be a better human being."

Mestre Jelon Vieira