FORRÓ IN THE NETHERLANDS: WORKSHOPS AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE IN THE HAGUE
In December 2025, Rafael from Forró New York visited The Hague (Den Haag) to teach three workshops during a celebration of Luiz Gonzaga, at the invitation of local teacher and organizer Bruna Azevedo.
A FIRST COLLABORATION IN THE HAGUE
Rafael’s collaboration with the forró community in The Hague began through conversations with Bruna Azevedo about teaching, cultural exchange, and possibilities for future projects in the Netherlands.
Bruna invited Rafael to participate in the community’s final party of 2025, creating an opportunity to meet in person and share his educational work with local dancers. The visit formed part of a European trip that also included workshops in Barcelona and teaching at the Baião Vai festival in Lisbon.
Their conversations also included the possibility of bringing Rafael’s Forró Sem Palavras project to the Netherlands in the future.
NETHERLANDS COLLABORATION ARCHIVE
DECEMBER 13, 2025 - CELEBRATING LUIZ GONZAGA
Held at a dance studio at Herengracht 13 in The Hague, the event marked the 113th anniversary of Luiz Gonzaga’s birth.
The program brought together three afternoon workshops, a screening of documentary material about the King of Baião, and an evening of social dancing. DJ Miss Brown provided the music for the party, including classics from Gonzaga’s repertoire.
This shared celebration connected the dance classes with the music and cultural history of forró.
THREE WORKSHOPS WITH RAFAEL
Rafael developed and taught three one-hour workshops, with Bruna joining him to demonstrate movements and partner exercises.
THE PERFECT EMBRACE - OPEN LEVEL
An open-level workshop centered on the embrace in forró and the experience of dancing with a partner.
INVERTED GIRO PAULISTA - INTERMEDIATE
A workshop for intermediate dancers exploring inverted turns, also known as giros paulistas, within Rafael’s movement repertoire.
THE RHYTHM OF BAIÃO - BEGINNERS
A beginner-level workshop focused on the rhythm of baião, connecting the afternoon’s educational program with the musical tradition celebrated throughout the event.
A WORKSHOP DEMONSTRATION WITH BRUNA AZEVEDO
A demonstration recorded during the visit brings together Rafael and Bruna, preserving a moment from their teaching collaboration in The Hague.
The video offers a direct view of the dance exchange that accompanied the workshops.
BUILDING FORRÓ COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE BRAZIL
During the visit, Rafael and Bruna also recorded a conversation about building and sustaining forró communities outside Brazil.
Their discussion explored the responsibilities involved in this work and the cultural questions that arise when forró develops in different local contexts. It extended the exchange beyond the classroom, creating space to reflect on the work surrounding the dance.
The conversation is available on the Forró New York YouTube channel. For a broader exploration of this topic, read the related article about how forró communities grow outside Brazil.
MUSIC, HISTORY, AND TIME TOGETHER
After the workshops, the organizers presented documentary material about Luiz Gonzaga, bringing his life and music into the evening’s program.
An introductory forró class and a party with DJ Miss Brown followed. Together, these activities gave participants time to learn, reflect, and dance within a celebration shared by the local community.
For Rafael, the visit also offered an opportunity to get to know the people and relationships behind the forró activities in The Hague.
FREE WORKSHOP RECAPS FOR WEBSITE MEMBERS
Video recaps and selected class recordings from the workshops in The Hague are available free of charge to registered members of the Forró New York website.
These materials allow participants to revisit ideas and movements explored during the classes. Free registration also provides access to other member-only educational resources across the website.
If you are already signed in, the button below opens the resources directly. Otherwise, you will be prompted to log in or create a free account.
These resources are separate from the paid online courses.
CONTINUING THE EXCHANGE
The 2025 visit created a starting point for further collaboration with Bruna and the forró community in The Hague.
Rafael remains interested in returning to the Netherlands for future workshops and cultural projects. No new visit is currently announced.
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CONTINUE EXPLORING
Explore the European forró scene and the wider network of educational exchanges connecting Forró New York with communities outside Brazil.
→ EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF FORRÓ IN EUROPE
→ EXPLORE FORRÓ BEYOND NEW YORK
→ EXPLORE THE GLOBAL FORRÓ COMMUNITY