On Friday, September 11, the Black Cat DC became a meeting place for memory, movement, and the unmistakable warmth of Brazilian forró. Casa da Cultura Brasileira EducArte was proud to welcome Rastapé for a beautiful evening that brought together Brazilians and friends of Brazil from across our region.
From Rastapé’s first moments on stage, the room was full of emotion. The audience sang along to beloved Rastapé hits such as “Anjo do Céu” and “Colo de Menina,” while the band also honored the foundations of the genre with classics from forró icons like Luiz Gonzaga and Alceu Valença. Couples and friends filled the dance floor, turning the concert into more than a performance: it became a shared celebration of music that carries family memories, regional identities, romances, festas, and the feeling of home.
Before Rastapé took the stage, we opened the night with our Festa Junina Fora da Época. Jo Silva and Carlinhos Rangel brought sertanejo and piseiro to the stage, creating the joyful, high-energy atmosphere of a Brazilian arraial. Then, with quadrilha called by Nat Pela, the crowd danced, laughed, spun around, and stepped back into memories of June festivals back home in Brazil.
For EducArte, this is why presenting Brazilian artists and traditions matters. We create spaces where Brazilian communities can hear their language, recognize their stories, and experience cultural traditions with the care, context, and respect they deserve. We also welcome non-Brazilians who come with curiosity, appreciation, and a genuine desire to participate in this cultural exchange.
Brazilian music is expansive, diverse, and deeply rooted in the histories of Indigenous, African, European, and immigrant communities across a country of continental scale. To celebrate it responsibly means more than playing a rhythm or adopting an aesthetic. It means honoring the language, the artists, the regional traditions, the social histories, and the people who have kept these forms alive across generations.
At EducArte, we believe cultural exchange is strongest when it is grounded in relationship, learning, and respect, and not in stereotypes or surface-level representation. Our work centers Brazilian and Latin American artists and communities while making their traditions accessible, visible, and valued throughout Greater Washington, DC. We are committed to building intergenerational spaces where culture can be preserved, celebrated, and passed forward.
Thank you to Rastapé, Jo Silva, Carlinhos Rangel, Nat Pela, Black Cat DC, and every person who sang, danced, and shared the night with us. Forró lives in community—and on September 11, our community made the dance floor feel like home.