The interview today is to Prof. Congo, from Capoeira Brasil Curacao, very smart and organized person, he will talk to us about how he keeps the organization of his classes, events and more. He also talks about how he runs ads to attack new students to his academy (remember this is a small tropical island)
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[00:02:11] – Caxixi: lets’ start from the beginning, just tell us a little bit of your capoeira story from the beginning, however you want to start.
Congo: Ok, starts cheese like every one of my generation that’s not Brazilian because the movie “Only The Strong”, then I used to do karate, taekwondo, and used to be a great dancer, and I was like “ooohh this is like fighting and dancing at the same time” and back then it wasn’t no google, no yahoo, no YouTube and I just came to curacao back then, we are talking about 22 years ago.
[00:03:50] – Congo my mom and my father were like if you want to do capoeira get somebody that is not from Brazil, so I was looking around and I meet some people from Holland, and knowing that I have family in Holland, it’s easier to go there, I got on the plain on the 12/09/2000.
[00:04:17] – Caxixi: Did you go to Brazil, then back to the island, or just went to Holland?
Congo: no, I went straight to Holland, because I wasn’t allowing to go to Brazil, I’m happy I wasn’t because I was naive, I didn’t speak Portuguese.
So yeah I went to Holland, I did my first class and I trained every day for a month, came back then look for some people that wanted to train because was no teacher here, I talked to some friends if they wanted to train with me, and trained for about 2 years, then in 2002 I moved back to Holland, arrived on Holland the 04/01/2002 and went to my first class on the 04/02/2002 and never stopped.
[00:07:43] – Caxixi: how did you get the Congo nick name?
Congo: well, funny fact, when I started capoeira, I don’t know how is it in pounds, but I was 130 kilos (286 lbs.) and my first batizado, I was gonna play for my cord, and back then instructora Zapeca now Mestra Zapeca, and she did this sign, ok she looked at me like “ok can you do an au?” and I got pissed and ended entering with an au sem mao.
The when I got out of the roda, by then Professor Dengoso now Mestre Dengoso, walked up to me and said, “hey Congo” and I was like “why this guy is calling me gorilla, that’s an ugly mother @#$%!! I didn’t speak Portuguese back then, he looked for a translator, and he took this guy and the guy was like “you know the silver back gorillas of Congo?” and I was like “yeah” then he goes “yeah those animals are very big and very heavy, but they are very light and very fast and strong, and when they get angry they will smash through anything to get to their target, that’s why he was calling you Congo, because you can play light and fast, and the more people was cheering the faster you got” and I was like “oh ok!”
[00:18:28] – Congo: But through the years I found out while teaching you can train at the same time, because while teaching basic element you feel like ok, this doesn’t feel comfortable and you can adjust your body, making your basic better, and helping your student to grow.
[00:18:47] – Caxixi: specially what I found pretty cool from teaching, is that you have to understand what you are teaching in order to teach it, so you read more and pay more attention to what you are doing with yourself, what you are doing with your own body, your hands, your posture, everything so you can correct other people to the better.
[00:25:28] – Caxixi: so you said a really good thing about students, so you see some students that they grow pretty fast, but there’s also some that they don’t grow as fast, while you wait for the slowest to grow at least pretty close to the other students that are going fast, how do you keep that motivation on fast learner I guess student because is a good point.
Congo: yeah, I understand your point, I asked like 2 students at the first batizado that grow faster, the way I motivate them, I tell them “ok you are fast now try to lower yourself to the once that are not your level”. Not for them to play bad but try to motivate them to play better, and then I see them struggling, the I say “yeah look that’s not the comfort zone that you are having”
[00:42:02] – Caxixi: Now going into the next question, the organization of the capoeira group, so like how do you do your business, how do you do that economical part of the group?
Congo: ok that’s a very very very hard part to answer because like I said, I don’t live of capoeira, I have an association that students do pay fees, the ones that can, the ones that can’t has to call me and they have to proof that they cannot pay, because some people can’t pay, some people can no everybody have the means of it.
[00:47:30] – Caxixi: What kind of advices do you give, at least to the beginners, or people that are just starting?
Congo: advice is don’t try to run, walk. Don’t look at the graduates a be like “oh I want to be able to do this, oh I can’t do that”.
[00:48:00] – Congo:I tell my student it’s nice to be able to do the advanced moves, but perfect your basics, because if you look at an advanced move the start of that move is a basic.
[00:48:17] – Congo: And for the people outside, is common in our group that we travel a lot, don’t matter which level you are, if you can travel, travel. It’s good to be able to look around, make new friends, because your teacher is your teacher, and remember your capoeira group is your family, not even your capoeira group, capoeira is a family.
Contact Congo or Follow his Social Media:
Links Mentioned:
Facebook: Congo Capoeira – Click here
Facebook Capoeira Brasil Curacao: – Click here
Email: visaodojogo@gmail.com
Website: www.capoeiracuracao.com – Click here
Congo Instagram: @congocapoeira – Click here
GCB Curacao Instagram: @gcbcuracao – Click here