João de Totó

João de Totó was one of the famous capoeiras whose names are preserved in the history of Recife's carnival. He was among the valentões (tough guys) who performed in front of the rival carnival bands in late 19th and early 20th century Pernambuco.

According to Valdemar de Oliveira's 1942 work "Frevo, Capoeira e Passo", João de Totó was one of the capoeiristas targeted by police crackdowns in the early 1900s. The police campaign against the capoeiras sent Valdevino, João de Totó, and Jovino dos Coelhos to detention, others to Fernando de Noronha (the notorious prison island off the coast of Pernambuco), and others directly to the morgue.

João de Totó was part of the capoeira maltas that organized around the rival military bands during carnival season. The bands of "Quarto" (4th Artillery Battalion) and "Espanha" (National Guard) paraded through Recife protected by the agility, bravery, clubs, and knives of capoeiras like him. These capoeiristas performed ginga and kicks that were eventually transformed into the "passo"—the foundational dance of frevo.

The suppression of Recife's capoeira maltas culminated around 1912, coinciding with the birth of frevo as a distinct musical and dance form. The jumps and ginga of these capoeiristas were their legacy to Pernambuco's culture.

Of all the valentões of Recife carnival—Jovino dos Coelhos, Nicolau do Poço, João de Totó—only Nascimento Grande was considered more fearsome.