FORRÓ IN MONTREAL: WORKSHOPS, FESTIVALS, AND LIVE MUSIC
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Explore local activities, discover Rafael’s teaching and musical collaborations, and stay connected for future visits.
KEEP DANCING IN MONTREAL
LOCAL COMMUNITY
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LEARNING RESOURCES
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FUTURE VISITS
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A GROWING CONNECTION BETWEEN MONTREAL AND NEW YORK
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Montreal has been one of Rafael’s recurring destinations for forró education and musical collaboration in North America.
Two visits in 2019 established the relationship through festival workshops, a teaching weekend with Camila Alves, and the Canadian debut of Forró Sem Palavras. Rafael returned as a guest instructor in 2024 and again in 2025, when teaching and a large outdoor concert became part of the same festival experience.
Across these visits, local organizers, dancers, and musicians have helped shape an exchange that connects classroom learning with the wider cultural life of forró.
MONTREAL COLLABORATION ARCHIVE
2019 - FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS AND A CANADIAN DEBUT
Rafael first joined the Montreal Forró Festival in 2019 at the invitation of Mohammed Mhirit, the festival’s producer at Studio Danse Montréal.
He participated as a guest dance instructor and brought Forró Sem Palavras to Canada for the first time. The concert took place at La Sala Rossa on May 4, bringing together Montreal-based musicians to perform the project’s instrumental forró repertoire.
Produced locally by Mohammed, with support from the Consulate General of Brazil, the presentation introduced Rafael’s musical work to the festival alongside his participation as an educator.
2019 - RETURNING WITH CAMILA ALVES
Later that year, Rafael returned with Camila Alves for an intensive weekend of workshops and social activities.
The visit formed part of their teaching tour through the United States and Canada. Alongside Montreal, the route connected New York City, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, with additional stops in Boston and Chicago.
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For Rafael and Camila, the trip also offered an informal opportunity to learn how different forró communities developed: meeting local organizers, exchanging teaching experiences, and observing the spaces and relationships that sustained each scene.
In Montreal, the collaboration combined several workshops with parties, including an evening with live music and an outdoor gathering. Time spent dancing and meeting participants became part of the exchange beyond the scheduled classes.
2024 - RETURNING TO THE MONTREAL FORRÓ FESTIVAL
After the pandemic, Rafael returned to Montreal in 2024 as a guest instructor at the Montreal Forró Festival.
The visit renewed his connection with local dancers and placed his educational work within the festival’s program of workshops and social activities. It also continued a relationship that had begun five years earlier, creating another opportunity to teach, reconnect, and exchange experiences.
2025 - FORRÓ SEM PALAVRAS AT THÉÂTRE DE VERDURE
On July 11, 2025, Forró Sem Palavras opened the Montreal Forró Festival with a concert at Théâtre de Verdure, the outdoor amphitheatre in Parc La Fontaine.
Presented as part of the city’s summer programming, the concert brought Rafael together with local musicians and guest singers. According to the event organizers, approximately 2,400 people attended, making it the project’s largest audience up to that point.
The stage arrangement brought music and dance into the same view. Musicians performed at the front, while the rear of the stage became a dance floor for festival participants. From the amphitheatre seating, the audience could watch the concert and the dancers responding to the music behind the ensemble.
This shared space made the relationship between forró music and social dancing visible throughout the performance.
Rafael also taught during the 2025 festival, continuing the educational exchange alongside the concert.
During his visits to Montreal, Rafael has also offered private forró lessons, providing personalized guidance alongside the festival and workshop activities.
TEACHING, MUSIC, AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
The Montreal visits have brought different parts of Rafael’s work into conversation.
Workshops created opportunities for direct exchange with dancers. Concerts connected his compositions and arrangements with local musicians. Parties and informal gatherings offered time to experience the community beyond the classroom and stage.
The 2025 concert brought these connections together on a larger scale, with festival dancers participating onstage while a broader public encountered the music from the audience.
DOCUMENTATION AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Photographs and videos from Rafael’s visits to Montreal document his participation in workshops, festivals, and community activities, alongside performances of Forró Sem Palavras.
These materials preserve moments of teaching, dancing, and making music, reflecting the connections developed with local dancers, educators, and musicians.
The workshop and music videos remain freely available through the Forró New York YouTube channel.
CONTINUING THE EXCHANGE
The visits in 2019, 2024, and 2025 form an ongoing record of collaboration between Rafael from Forró New York and Montreal’s forró community.
This page brings those experiences together and provides a place to share further recordings and future collaborations as they develop.
Join the Forró New York newsletter for updates about workshops, performances, and international visits.
Explore the connections between forró communities in North America and learn more about the musical project that has accompanied Rafael’s teaching visits.
→ EXPLORE FORRÓ BEYOND NEW YORK
→ READ ABOUT FORRÓ IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
→ EXPLORE THE GLOBAL FORRÓ COMMUNITY