On 23 July 2023, the city of Madalena, in the Azores, Portugal, hundreds of dancers wearing hats broke the record for largest Portuguese folk dance by performing the Chamarrita.
The official attempt, organized by Madalena City Council (Portugal), brought together 812 participants on the lawn of the city's stadium.
The institution had previously broken the record with 544 participants in 2015.
Madalena City Council's motivation for retaking the record was to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Azoreans on the 300th anniversary of the founding of the municipality of Madalena.
To achieve the new milestone, the population needed to dance Chamarrita synchronously for just over five minutes, following the steps announced by Mário Silva, the commander of the circle.
As the pairs registered their entry into the venue, Mário guided everyone to their seats. With the help of other members of the organization, the crowd lined up in concentric circles, with women and men intertwined.
Despite the stands being full, it seemed that Madalena's dance would not surpass the number of 747 people, achieved by the Portuguese Cultural Center of Mississauga (Canada), in 2022.
So, the organization decided to invite the audience to take part in the dance so they could reach the necessary record-breaking number.
Participants rehearsed the dance a few times before the official attempt began.
The steps included synchronized pair changes and steps similar to those of gaucho fado — a Brazilian dance that was born from Portuguese colonial influence.
After the circle warmed up, Guinness World Records Adjudicator Prav Patel and three official witnesses positioned themselves on the field to watch the dance.
“The commander told me he was ready. The music started and, when the first dance step was taken, I started the timer”, explained Prav. “The dance was performed correctly on the first try, but they liked it so much they did a second one.”
The other witnesses also confirmed the precision of the dancers.
According to the organizers, breaking the record was possible, for the second time, thanks to the wide publicity of the attempt in the city of Madalena, which promoted partnerships with the Azorean islands of Pico, Faial and São Jorge.
The City Council also prepared promotional activities and even Chamarrita classes for the event.
“The Madalena festivals are [part of] our traditions that have surpassed centuries and continents”, stated Catarina Manito, vice-president of the Madalena City Council.
Dance, according to Manito, represents both the passion of the current population and that of their ancestors. “As we celebrate 300 years of existence, we project our island onto the world”, he celebrated.
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