May 15, 2017

Meet Monitor Gigante and Monitor Gafanhoto of Capoeira Angola Quintal in Somerville

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monitor Gigante and Monitor Gafanhoto.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Monitor Gigante and Monitor Gafanhoto. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We both moved to the Boston area about 10 years ago from Western NY and we wanted to continue training the style of capoeira Angola we were taught by our teachers. When we arrived in Boston, we were pleased to find a rich and welcoming capoeira community, but we wanted to maintain fidelity to our approach. We both come from athletic backgrounds, including snow sports, surfing, gymnastics, and competitive team sports, but capoeira goes far beyond the physical. It’s an immensely fulfilling, though challenging practice that develops, not only incredible strength, flexibility, and balance, but also culture, music, and a sense of community. We joke that one doesn’t dabble in capoeira, one gets bitten by the bug.

Has it been a smooth road?
As practitioners, it’s inherently physically challenging, but nevertheless accessible to most. For us it has been a labor of love and while the size of our group has waxed and waned over time, there’s no world in which we wouldn’t be pursuing it. That said, it’s an inherently social practice and every student’s presence contributes to the energy of the group, so it’s very difficult and sad when they move away. Personally, we have to dig deep to push ourselves without OUR teachers present. There’s a saying in capoeira, that everyone is a student, even the masters. So we’d guess this is a familiar struggle for all who lead capoeira groups.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Capoeira Angola Quintal Boston story. Tell us more about the business.
Capoeira Angola Quintal Boston is one of nearly a dozen Capoeira Angola Quintal academies around the U.S. We come from a proud lineage with roots in some of the most widely respected practitioners in the world. Our style is a technically sophisticated–one that emphasizes strategy and subtlety over speed and overt aggression. We train hard and ensure that we’re training not only the body, but mind, and musicality. Often time’s groups don’t pay enough attention to teaching capoeira music or analyzing games, but we incorporate those elements into almost every class. The result is that ours is well-balanced and capable of creating a welcoming and fun environment.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Capoeira has grown much more popular in the U.S. in the past few decades. Easier travel between Brazil and the U.S. has enables masters to continue spreading their teachings and the internet has made it easier to share multi-media, whether we’re talking about particular moves, songs, or just awareness about groups around the world. This all helps drive awareness about capoeira, attracting new students. That said, it’s an oral tradition with tons of nuance, and there’s no replacement for focused training with great teachers.

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