Road Stories Blog

By Emily Anderson. Photos by Dean Yohnk and Doug Edwardsen.

Rice Lake, Cumberland, Shell Lake, and Barron gave Paulo Padilha and Group a warm welcome to Northwestern Wisconsin this week. Big thanks to University of Wisconsin Barron County for their work in creating partnerships that have made Arts Midwest World Fest a success in Wisconsin.

Paulo Padilha and Group shared this wonderful video with us of some workshops and school concerts in Iowa. Thank you to everyone who opened up your communities, your schools, and your hearts to this fun group from Brazil! The band had a great time, and it's clear from this video that kids in Orange City, Iowa also had a wonderful time and learned a lot about Brazilian music and culture.

By Ken Carlson

Cups were dancing on saucers at The Old Factory Coffee Shop in Orange City, Iowa as Paulo Padilha and Group performed there last week! Once that samba rhythm gets rolling nothing and no one can resist it! A scheduled 45 minute mini-concert stretched to 90 as the ensemble picked up speed and rhythm like a locomotive on the track. The group just carried the audience along with it. It was a fun night made even more enjoyable by a special menu item for the evening: Brazilian beans and rice.

By Ken Carlson

The Paulo Padilha and Group tour is off to a great start in Sisseton, South Dakota. The Sisseton Arts Council welcomed the group on a beautiful evening at the 75-foot Nicollet Tower just outside Sisseton. On such a beautiful night one could probably not see all the way to São Paulo from here, but it felt that way.