astonishing in its beauty, semana santa is one of the most important religious festivities in a town known for its time-honored customs.

having recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, it is safe to say that dança paraty, the paraty dance festival, has carved a niche for itself in the brazilian dance scene.

taking place in june, the event encompasses the performance of more than 800 dancers from all over brazil and other parts of the world performing classical, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap and even belly and street dance. 

dancers are divided into child, youth, amateur and professional groupings and, interestingly, admission can be exchanged for one kilogram of non-perishable food.