Francisco Antonio Rodrigues da Silva, known as Mestre Fran, was born in November 7th, 1964, in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. He started practicing Capoeira at the age of 10, in São Paulo, Brazil.

In November of 1982, he arrived in Londrina, Brazil, with the dream to disseminate the art of Capoeira to the South of Brazil. The group which Mestre Fran was part at that time was named as Grupo de Capoeira Conceição da Praia. It was a big group and its creator and president was Mestre Ronaldo Luis de Lima, known as Mestre Bradesco – who taught Mestre Fran the first steps into the Capoeira. Mestre Bradesco came from a legendary group in the Capoeira´s world: Capitães de Areia Group.

After many years of hard work in Londrina, Sara, Mestre Fran's partner and today a group instructor, suggested a “trip” to Salvador, Bahia. In Salvador he met Dona Alice, Mestre Pastinha´s legendary widow. He also met many others “capoeiristas”, like Mestre Bobó, Caiçara, Ezequiel, part creators of the history of Capoeira,. These old “capoeiristas baianos” (from Bahia) showed to Mestre Fran the essence of Capoeira and the Maculelê art. The beat of the drums and the vibration of that beautiful dance-fight-art had a major impact in Mestre Fran. Coming back to Londrina he decided to create his own Group. Mestre Fran created the Associação Cultural de Capoeira Maculelê, also known as “Maculelê. Since then, he has learned and taught a lot with the experience he has gained every single day in his academy and by participating in “rodas” around the country (Brazil) and the world (U.S.A. and Europe). Mestre Fran has never forgotten his Mestre´s principles: