Bahia’s capoeira mestres, heirs of the legendary Bimba and Pastinha, circulate among more than 150 countries teaching the game-art. With the participation of Mestres Joao Pequeno, Joao Grande, Acordeon, Itapua, Camisa, Nenel, Curio, Boca Rica, Moraes, Janja, and Sabia.

By Tatiana Mendonça
Published May 10, 2009 in Revista Muito
Translated into English by Shayna McHugh

The two Joãos play capoeira as though they were dancing in slow motion. They’ve done this in many rodas, and occasionally someone would film them. Watch the 1986 film Capoeira Angola do Mundo, which contains this scene. At the time, they were already great mestres, and today they are legends in the art that spreads from Bahia to the whole world. One is João Pequeno; the other is João Grande. One lives in the neighborhood of Fazenda Coutos in Salvador; the other lives in New York.

In his house on the periphery of Salvador, João Pequeno searches his memory to remember how old he is: “78,” he says firmly. “What 78? You’re 91, Mr. João,” his granddaughter quickly corrects. “No, I’m not that old,” he retorts, laughing.

The problem, according to him, is that his mind is divided in two parts. “There’s the part I remember and the part I don’t remember. But I remember capoeira.” I ask if he still plays, and in response he gets up to ginga. “I’ve been a stonemason and a painter, but it was capoeira that gave me the title of doctor,” he says, referring to the three titles he received – in 2003, he became doctor honoris causa by the Federal University of Uberlandia, the same title he received last year from the Federal University of Bahia.

It’s Saturday morning and 32 children (or a few less, depending on if some of them slept too late) go to his house to participate in the project Pequenos do João (John’s Little Ones), which is maintained voluntarily by those who live there. The kids go to Mestre João to receive a blessing. Christiane Santos Miranda, João’s 26-year-old granddaughter, teaches the class. But João, sitting on a bench and taking photos (he loves the camera!) doesn’t hesitate to contribute: “He’s not watching the others, that’s why he’s doing it wrong.” “The rabo-de-arraia goes from here to there.” “Straighten your leg.” “Look at the other player under your arm.” “Change feet.” “Come on, come on.” And, a bit irritated, “If you don’t know, then leave.” His granddaughter, who is known as Nani, tells the children (who range from 3-13 years old) to listen to Mestre João, while simultaneously telling her grandfather to be patient with the kids, as they are young.

Mestre João’s body may not be able to do many movements, but his head still retains all the technique. Because of the lack of a car to take him to the Capoeira Fort in Santo Antonio, he rarely goes to the academy anymore. Because of his advanced age, he no longer travels to give capoeira workshops outside of Brazil. “He used to go frequently to Europe, as well as the United States, with Mestre João Grande,” says Nani.

It was from there – more specifically, New York – that Mestre João Grande, 75, spoke with us for this article. “It was God who brought me here,” he says. The first time he traveled was to Senegal in 1966, with Mestre Pastinha. Later, he went to Europe with the folkloric performance group Viva Bahia. In 1989, he made his first visit to the U.S., and one year later he went there to stay, opening up the Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre João Grande. “I’ve done well here. I visit Bahia on vacation, and I spend a month. I’m adventurous, I like to travel the world.”

In June, he goes to teach in Belo Horizonte, and then to Europe. João Grande agilely evades the question of whether he makes a lot of money or became rich. He emphasizes that in New York, everything is very expensive. “My life is in order here. I can’t say how much I make because the number of students varies a lot. Yesterday there were 21 students, today 15 came, tomorrow perhaps 10.” But the mestres of Bahia state that João Grande is like the Ronaldinho of capoeira (proportionally, of course). There’s a reason behind the saying, “It was God who sent João Grande to play capoeira.”

João Grande speaks openly about what capoeira has given him: “Everything, everything. My friends and everything else.” His only complaint is that he thinks capoeira has changed, and he feels nostalgic for the old says when it was played freely in the street festivals. “They no longer have those beautiful parties. And many people don’t take learning capoeira as seriously as they should.”