Programming
High Energy Performances
Drum Cafe North America we create magical musical performances for all types of events – Company Parties; New Product Launches; Award Ceremonies; Event Energizers; Ice-Breakers and many more. Our performances are fully scalable in terms of length of time on the agenda, appropriate for all sized audiences and honor a variety of genres – from Stilt Walkers to Gumboot Dancers, Zulu drum and dance to Afro-Cuban or Caribbean ensembles. We can be whatever you dream!
Crowd Mover Programs
We design, produce and deliver 10-12 minute WOW FACTOR OPENING programs that set the bar high for energy and excellence as the kick-off to your conference.
These programs are a powerful integration of dance, lights, drumming, multi-sensory musical performance and story-driven narratives/spoken word. They are created and performed to invigorate the room and fill participants with positive energy for what’s to come. specific themes of your conference to invigorate the imagination and possibility. These programs can be designed for multiple themes, best for large scale audiences (100+), and draws from the power of theater and extravaganza.
Real Client Scenario: A crescent moon of drummers on surdos, begin playing a simple and united heartbeat. Stage is dark. A back center screen begins to light up as words and images evoke the very beginnings of the company’s first heart beat – how it was born, what was driving its vision, and its purpose for being. During this montage our drummers build the rhythm from the single heartbeat to a more complex celebratory symphony. New drums and percussion instruments are introduced to expand the sonic experience. A single voice emerges through the music. A two-minute spoken word pulses through the groove, weaving the story of Edwards Lifesciences. The music underscores and accents the dramatic rise of the company’s legacy – and as the spoken word ends, the performance culminates in a rich visual and aural celebration of 60 years of innovative achievement.
To view this program in action click on the image.
Gumboot Drum & Dance
Gumboot dancing originated in the South African diamond and gold mines and by the start of the last century spread across the country. This dance program portrays the unity built among the mine workers, who were brought unwillingly from neighboring countries and local regions of South Africa. Despite their language and tribal differences, the workers used dance to bridge the communication gap and cope with the brutality of their daily lives in the mines.
West African Drum & Dance
We have a powerhouse drum and dance team whose performance pieces are inspired by the music and culture of Guinea, Senegal and Mali. Their choreography traces African roots throughout the diaspora.
Stilt Walker Drum & Dance
Deeply rooted in Yoruba tribal culture, the masked dancer on stilts, called masquerade, performs traditional and acrobatic ballet style of stilt-walking from the region of West Africa consisting of Guinea, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. The masquerade, or ‘Tall Spirit’, acts as the spiritual authority of the village and community and, along with the music accompaniment, comes to bring good luck, peace, prosperity and balance in all of nature.
To view this program in action click on the image.
Afro Cuban Drum & Dance
Our Afro-Cuban performance group comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by West African and European (especially Spanish) music. It is often considered one of the richest and most influential regional musics of the world. The lyrical traditions with Afro-Cuban drumming and rhythms executed by our enthusiastic master percussionists will captivate, excite and inspire your audience.
Brazilian Drum & Dance
Carnival is here! Samba, which mixes European melody and African rhythms, personifies the miscegenation that is uniquely and unmistakably Brazilian. Our performance group will whisk you away to the sights and sounds of Carnival, where the syncopated beats and dancers costumed in elaborately-jeweled bikinis and traditional feathered head-dresses, will uplift and transport you away to the greatest dance-party in the world!
Caribbean Steel Drum
These chromatically pitched percussion instruments will infuse your event with energy. Steel drums were first used in Trinidad and Tobago for calypsos performances at Carnivale. Get swept away in the smooth sound.
Zaboomba
Zaboomba! You, yes, you! You’re in the theatre watching Za Boom Ba. You want to leap off your seat, ignited by the electrifying dancing…the explosive grooves of a powerful drumming ensemble. Wait…you are not just listening to the drumming, you are drumming! Every audience member becomes a part of the unified beat when percussion instruments, from shakers to a full on, thumping, West African Djembe drum, are given to everyone in the audience.
To view this program in action click on the image.