Children and young people are invited to practice physical activity in a rhythmic way thanks to a set of free dance classes, throughout the month of August, under the municipal program Nosso Bairro, Nossa Cidade, in Setubal.
Until the end of August, every Wednesday afternoon, starting at 4 pm, the doors of Espaço Nosso Bairro, Nossa Cidade, located at Rua da Figueira Grande, are open to anyone who wants to get into the dance rhythm, in different styles, ranging from urban hip-hop sounds to techno and house.
The activity, organized jointly by the Setúbal City Council and the Setubalese dancer José Semedo began on the 12th and the next classes will take place on the 19th and 26th.
The idea is to captivate the participants to dance, with the intention of creating classes with regular activity in the future. Each Street Jazz Dance class lasts approximately 40 minutes and has a maximum limit of ten participants, due to the measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
José Dias Semedo, 31, who provides Street Jazz Dance classes, is a dancer trained at Art’J – Professional School of Performing Arts at Jobra. “The passion for dance started at around 16 years old. Electronic music has always been a gimmick. For this reason, the first two dances I learned were house and tecktonik, a street dance style that originated in France”, says the volunteer from Nosso Bairro, Nossa Cidade, in the statement.
The initiative involves residents, municipal services, and close to thirty entities based in the territory, an area that encompasses the neighborhoods of Bela Vista, Alameda das Palmeiras, Forte da Bela Vista, Manteigadas and Quinta de Santo António.
Nosso Bairro, Nossa Cidade establishes that the actions to be carried out must be carried out by the residents, generating the participation of people in the decisions that concern them and their community, with the aim of promoting autonomy, responsibility and collective growth.
The people, organized in groups, participate in the decisions and also in the tasks inherent to the execution of the actions, in a logic of leadership formation and popular mobilization.
Due to the results achieved since 2012, namely in improving the quality of life of the citizens involved in the activities developed, Nosso Bairro, Nossa Cidade is, today, a national and international reference, serving as a case study in several locations.
