For our Madeira’s Many Muses series, we spent time with the Grupo Folclórico da Casa do Povo da Camacha — a group that’s been keeping the island’s traditions alive through music, costume and dance.

We met one of the members at his home. He welcomed us in like it was the most normal thing in the world. While he told us about the group — how long he’d been part of it, how it’s changed over the years — he cooked for us. Everything came straight from his garden. Fresh chuchu, picked that same day, along with whatever else was ready. Later, we headed to a local town hall where the rest of the group was gathering. People kept arriving — younger, older — all part of the same thing. You could tell this wasn’t something they perform for others. It’s just part of their lives.

When the music started, the room slowly filled with movement. Pien stepped in first. The rest of us followed, trying to keep up, laughing a bit, figuring it out as we went. Not perfectly. But that didn’t really matter.