joão grande asked mestre barbosa if he could study and mestre barbosa sent him to joão pequeno, who later became his closest associate in capoeira. joão pequeno sent him to mestre pastinha who had a famous academy in the cardeal pequeno neighborhood of brotas. joão grande requested permission to join his academy, and pastinha accepted joão as a student at the age of twenty, relatively late in capoeira life. while studying, joão grande worked as a longshoreman, playing after work or on his few days off.