Festival Andanças
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Andanças is a never-ending dance, one that does not dwell on pre-established formulas and is not obsessed with any given model! A dance that also allows for the discovery of the other, be it in the geographic or in the historical plane. It is the contaminated dance, a healthily contaminated one, though. To put it briefly, a celebration of the cultural “Babel” our globalized world represents. Daniel Tércio , Journalist
The Andanças Festival promotes traditional folk music and dance as primary means of learning and intergenerational exchange. We intend to rediscover the ball as a ritual and collective social experience that enhances the discovery of the Other. It is the festival’s aim to remind people that these expressions are a synonym for identity and need to be preserved to ensure the survival of the intangible cultural heritage. With a contemporary approach, it proposes the rediscovery of music and choreographic traditions within an “unfolklored” space that allows participants to be agents for social continuity. In this year’s edition, participants will have at their disposal: 135 balls and concerts; All this in a festival that ” never closes”, that is not limited to 19 hours of daily programming and that owes its existence to the help of 830 artists, about 800 volunteers and all those heading to São Pedro do Sul to actively participate in the festival. It is important to highlight the role volunteer work plays in the festival. Without the approximately 1600 people (including artists) who work voluntarily at the event, offering what they do best and ensuring all tasks necessary, it would not be possible. Andanças is a festival made by all and for all. Another important issue in Andanças are the sustainable practices. We are all aware of the environmental impact that every large event has but we believe this can be reduced. Regarding this, every year Andanças implements new measures that aim to develop a greater environmental awareness. This year, in addition to the usual campaigns, we will have Km Zero. The purpose of this day (August 3) is to reduce the carbon footprint by using products and programming proposals coming from a 20km radius. Andanças is a festival produced by the PédeXumbo Association with the support of the São Pedro do Sul Municipality, the Carvalhais Center for Social Advancement and the Carvalhais Parish Council. Together they work with the local population in order to produce a quality festival, one that takes into account the characteristics of the area where it is held, making an effort to promote and disseminate the cultural and environmental heritage of the region. This year it was featured by Turismo de Portugal as one of the Quero Ir events. PédeXumbo is an association working since 1998 to promote traditional music, instruments and dances, with a special emphasis on the Portuguese heritage. In addition to Andanças, PédeXumbo - based in Évora - has a programme that runs throughout the year. It is a member of the Cooperation Council of the Monte-ACE (Group for the Development of Central Alentejo), the Portuguese Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation and is funded by DGArtes. More info and full schedule: |
