Grupo Folclórico e Etnográfico Português de Montreal
| Founding Date: | December, 1966 |
| Telephone: | (514) 241-9742 |
| Email: | gfepmtl@gmail.com |
PHOTOSHOOT:
Please see images from a photoshoot organized by the group
THE OLDEST PORTUGUESE FOLK-DANCE GROUP IN QUEBEC
Audio Version
Grupo Folclórico e Etnográfico Português de Montreal might not have been the first in the city, but for many years it was the only Portuguese folk-dance group in the community and, most of all, it has stood the test of time. Founded in December of 1966, it is currently the oldest active ‘rancho’ in the region. Throughout the last few decades, it has experienced successes and struggles, but it has mainly been able to evolve and transform into a respected and exemplary group not only in the city but also in the global sphere of folklore dances and related history.
In the late 1950s, a few men began to meet at a local church to engage in some of the motherland’s traditions, such as the popular danças carnavalescas. This seems to have been the prelude for what was to become the founding of Grupo Folclórico Português de Montreal, the original name of the current rancho. António Lourenço, who passed away in June of 2019, was the founder of the group. For the first few years, its headquarters were at the Clube Português de Montreal, but the rancho was always independent from that organization, and independent it remained to this day.
Since its inception until 2008, it was exclusively a children’s group, the current president, Rafael Gaspar, told us in a conversation via zoom in January of 2022. “Our group was well known. It performed for Pope John Paul II (now Saint John Paul II) upon his visit to Montreal, in 1984. It participated in numerous television shows for Radio Canada. For many years, the group was the face of the Portuguese folklore in the local media,” he recounted.
As António Lourenço aged and the community began to assimilate into the general society, the group began to experience difficulties recruiting new young dancers. Sensing that he would not be able to maintain his duties as the leader of the group for much longer, Mr. Lourenço began to look for solutions that would guarantee that the rancho would continue to operate. After the turn of the millennium, he approached Father José Maria Cardoso, Santa Cruz Church’s head priest at the time, to propose that the group move there. “He believed that the only entity that would guarantee the survival of the group was the Santa Cruz Catholic Mission. An agreement was reached between the priest and Mr. Lourenço and the group moved to Santa Cruz Church in the early part of 2008,” Gaspar recalled.
It was at this time that Rafael Gaspar started his involvement with the organization. Born in Cartaxo, Ribatejo, he became very active within the circles of Portuguese folklore from an early age. He first joined a group in 1975, was then a co-founder of the International Folklore Festival of Ilha Terceira and, for many years, collaborated extensively with the organizing committee for the Santarém Folklore International Festival. After immigrating to Montreal in 1988, he became a Board Member of the Clube Português de Montreal, taking on different roles within the association, including the task of introducing the organization’s rancho, Praias de Portugal, at various events. Given his impressive resume, it was only natural that he received an invitation to take over the leadership of the group that Mr. Lourenço left at Santa Cruz.
Some pictures from a recent photoshoot of the folkdance group:
“We started working with the seven or eight children we had remaining at the time. Meanwhile, the group starts to grow and a great transformation begins. We were a folk group, but we also wanted to become an ethnographic group. We started acquiring better garments, dancing to each music the proper way, and we accomplished that over time. This is thanks to all the members of the group,” Gaspar said.
It was necessary to raise funds to succeed at such a major transformation. The group began to hold social events, such as dinner parties, that would attract hundreds of guests. This helped it accomplish two main objectives: raise funds and improve the group’s reputation. However, bigger things were unexpectedly about to happen.
Sandra Costa, a dancer and former choreographer for the children’s group, was to get married in September of 2016. Since she was originally from Nazaré, members of the group decided to practice three dances from that coastal town to surprise her at her wedding. “We ordered fabric from Nazaré and made our own attire. After we performed at the wedding, some members began to say that, since we knew the dances and had the costumes, we should perhaps continue. And so we founded the Rancho da Nazaré,” Gaspar informed.
Currently, Grupo Folclórico e Etnográfico Português de Montreal is unique in the region and, perhaps, even in Canada, in the sense that it represents more than one region. For forty years, from its inception until that memorable day at Sandra Costa’s wedding, the group represented exclusively the Minho region. The Minho rancho now goes by the nickname of Coração do Minho, but it has also seen two parallel groups being formed in the last few years: Brisas da Nazaré and Lembranças do Ribatejo. “They are distinct ranchos within the same group. There are people who dance in two groups, others in only one, and some others dance in all three. Each rancho dresses to the highest historical accuracy according to the region they represent,” Rafael Gaspar explained.
More pictures from the photoshoot:
Paulo Mendes and Ricardo Silva are the choreographers for the Minho group, Stephanie Loureiro for the nazarenos, and Diogo Loureiro and Betty Oliveira for the group representing Ribatejo. Helena Loureiro, a chef and restaurant owner in the city of Montreal, is the group’s madrinha. “She is dedicated to our project and takes pride in her role as madrinha. She has helped us a lot,” Gaspar noted.
This eclectic representation of the Portuguese culture inspired the group to apply for membership with the Portuguese Federation of Folklore, of which it is now an active member. This led to the accumulation of a small fortune in terms of costumes, to conform to the guidelines imposed by the Federation. “Teresa Torcato oversees the group’s attire. She goes to Portugal and often brings new trajos for the group. You can’t imagine the richness of our collection,” Gaspar proudly stated.
If the group was once the face of the Portuguese folklore in the city, it has now expanded beyond the Canadian borders. It has performed in California, New York, New Jersey, New Bedford, and other locations in the United States of America.
The group, composed of around 90 members divided by the three ranchos, has had to adapt to changes over the years, one of which was the location of its practices. After staying at the Clube Português de Montreal for many years, it also used the facilities of Associação Portuguesa do Canadá, Clube Oriental Português de Montreal and Missão Santa Cruz. Now it practices at the Saint-Enfant-Jésus church, in Montreal.
The pandemic has halted practices and performances, but the group continues to do all it can to stay active. During the summer months of 2020 and 2021, members gathered in various locations across the city for photographic sessions depicting various ethnographic elements represented by the group. “We tried to recreate scenes such as the washing of clothes in the river, the fishermen, and the harvest of the corn. We are creating an album. Ricardo Torcato has been instrumental in the whole process. He has been a great leader for our youth,” Gaspar revealed.
Truly, the future of organizations such as Grupo Folclórico e Etnográfico Português de Montreal depend on the involvement of youth in its activities. According to Rafael Gaspar, this has been a major contributor to the growth and prosperity of the group because it attracts many young men and women. The Covid-19 pandemic may have shaken the organization, but with the resolve of Rafael Gaspar as leader and the commitment of the group’s members, there is no doubt that it will bounce back now that we have returned to some sort of normalcy.
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