Quadrilhas

I am from Brazil’s Northeast. I grew up in this land and, like so many others here, danced quadrilha at school, listened to Luiz Gonzaga and spent much of my holidays on the family farm. As the son of a man from the sertão, June has always been a powerful time of reconnecting with my roots: the music, the food, the dances, the bonfire and the traditions that helped shape who I am. It is the time of year when I feel most connected to the culture of the Northeast.

Far more than a dance, what unfolds in the arena during the June festivities is a fully realised spectacle. For months, entire communities come together through the collective efforts of dancers, seamstresses, set designers and volunteers. Often working with limited resources, they deliver an extraordinary display of creativity, discipline and passion.

The stories told by the quadrilhas — the traditional dance groups at the heart of these festivities — often portray the Northeast of bygone times. The sertão, rural life and traditional characters become expressions of shared memory and collective storytelling. This is not about freezing the past, but preserving it and keeping it alive in a country that changes so rapidly.

These photographs were taken during a competition in Paraíba. The work seeks to capture not only the visual grandeur of the performances, but above all the pride, dedication and sense of belonging of each participant.