Companies from Portugal, Angola, and Brazil came together on a single Pillow program to explore cultural connections under an umbrella title, “The Roots of Creole.” The group seen here is from the town of Miranda do Douro in northeast Portugal—an area known as Tras-os-Montes, or “beyond the mountains.” The region’s geography has isolated it from the rest of Portugal, preserving many traditional cultural forms such as this stick dance. While the sound of the bagpipe is now usually associated with Scotland, it originated in the Islamic world and was spread by the Celts to northeastern Portugal where it has remained embedded in the culture since the 12th century.
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