It's Thursday afternoon in Praça da Batalha. Between the honking of the single lane traffic, and above the enthusiastic arguments of the people sitting on the square's benches, you can hear warm synthesiser arpeggios and a voice singing about painful love. The music comes from the open windows of the Orfeão do Porto headquarters, where weekly balls are still held — the last survivors of what was once a circuit of dancing events all over the city.

For the regulars in Batalha square, this music on the street is no surprise — it's even expected and appreciated by those who like to listen without risking a dance step — but the tourists who pass by are curious about the source of these Latin notes coming from a building surrounded by hotels. 

Carminda, 81, and Adelino, 86, are examples of these autumnal couples. Both widowers, they took parallel paths to the balls, one going on Sundays and the other on Thursdays. Until four months ago when, by chance, their paths crossed on the same afternoon and their relationship began. Carminda proudly says that they are "a couple in love and passionate" and that they are "the envy of many here". Next to them, José and Luzia claim to be just friends — but José adds that there are "friendships without malice, but with a lot of mischief". In short: "everyone likes affection". 

This new version of Orfeão's dance afternoons began in the 2000s but its golden age was in the 1960s and 1970s. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, there were cultural and recreational associations, where families and groups of friends met in a participatory and collaborative model. At that time, Orfeão had a theatre group, a choir group and an ethnographic group, and access to the balls was restricted to those who complied with a strict dress code. Today, access is more liberal and you can even wear trainers, as long as you are not visibly inebriated and pay for your ticket.

These balls are currently the main source of income for Orfeão, which is going through a sensitive period due to the possibility of an increase in the rent for the space it has occupied since the 1970s. The landlords want to increase the rent to four times its current value. Its status as an institution of public utility and its inclusion in the Porto de Tradição programme have given it some mechanisms to prevent this change, the final decision of which is currently before the courts. But even if the rent "only" doubles, Orfeão will have to find a new home. "We would have to move to the outskirts, which would make it very difficult for our members to continue to attend rehearsals and performances. If we don't win this case, it will be the end of Orfeão."