The Regional Government of the Azores is organizing a free online training workshop for Azorean folklore groups based in South and North America to be held on December 14th at 5:00 pm Azores time.
This initiative, offered through the Regional Directorate for Communities, aims to provide a platform for sharing and updating knowledge about Azorean folklore while fostering an exchange of experiences among various folk-dance groups of Azorean heritage based across South America (Brazil and Uruguay) and North America (United States, Canada, and Bermuda), home to thriving Azorean communities.
The training session, led by two Azorean folklore experts, namely Luísa Bairos and Leandro Ávila, will last approximately two hours and conclude with an interactive discussion with participants.
Luísa Bairos is the artistic director of the Santa Cecília Folklore Group in Fajã de Cima, São Miguel Island. She was born in Ponta Delgada, holds a degree in History and is a founding member of the Associação Rancho Folclórico Santa Cecília, established in 1987. She served as the group’s artistic director for nearly 40 years and was its president from 2007 to 2016. Professionally, she manages the archive service at RTP/Açores.
Leandro Ávila is the artistic director of the Fontes da Nossa Ilha Folklore Group in Fontinhas, Terceira Island. Ávila, born in Praia da Vitória, holds a degree in Education, a Master’s, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of the Azores. He is completing a postgraduate program in Traditional and Popular Portuguese Cultural Heritage at the Piaget Institute and is a researcher at the Humanities Centre of Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Participation is limited and requires prior registration. Interested participants must complete the registration form available at this link by December 10th.
Folklore groups remain vital for the diaspora cultural life of Azorean communities in Brazil, Bermuda, Canada, the United States, and many other countries worldwide. They serve as key transmitters of the values and cultural heritage, ensuring its preservation for future generations.
Source: portal.azores.gov
The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.
