About Us:

Grupo Folclórico "Alma Ribatejana", a non-profit organization, was founded on September 12, 2003. We are a voluntary “membership organization” consisting of Luso Americans and those of Portuguese decent from Northern California. Current members of "Alma Ribatejana" are active participants as dancers, musicians and/or singers, or members of the board of directors.

Our main objective is to promote the culture and traditions of the Ribatejo, Portugal region and to educate the public by promoting diversity through authentic dance, music and costume. By promoting the traditions of the Ribatejo, we are able to foster an awareness of the Portuguese culture in California and promote involvement domestically and internationally. In this way, we hope to strengthen cultural traditions of the past and foster them in the future.

Members of Grupo Folclórico Alma Ribatejana practice live music and dance in order to participate in Portuguese and other cultural events. Our group although very young, has performed by invitation in Hawaii and in Beijing, China and has recorded its first CD, "Alma Ribatejana", consisting of 16 tracks of folkloric music from the Ribatejo region.

Our goal is to continue extending future performances both domestically and internationally.

Mission Statement:

Grupo Folclórico Alma Ribatejana is proud to foster an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the Portuguese culture and heritage through programs, services, and advocacy. Our mission is to promote diversity through the performance and teaching of Portuguese folkloric music and dance history representative of the Ribatejo region in Portugal.