Open Maracatu Workshops!
From the 27th to the 29th of May 2019 Jack Drum Arts had the incredible pleasure of hosting Bigato Pereira and Thalita De Faria Domingues of the Maracatu Nation of Porto Rico for three whole days of Free Maracatu workshops in the run up to our performance at Brazilica 2019- the largest annual celebration of Brazilian culture in the UK.
The workshops were split in to three sections each day with Bigato taking lead on the Alfaia, Caixa and Gongue rhythms and their characteristic techniques, and Thalita focusing on the Agbe players and the intricate steps and dances unique to that instrument. In the third section Thalita and Bigato brought the groups together to explore new Loas for us to perform as a group.
Loas are the songs of Maracatu, often in praise to the Orixá of Candomblé (Spirits given human form and sent by the Gods to guide creation) or in recognition of the rich history of the Maracatu Nations, their struggle and pride. Bigato and Thalita spoke about what I’ve just briefly mentioned in great and eloquent detail themselves. Our young people were eager to engage and learn from them, asking questions, listening intently and most importantly acknowledging together that what was being passed to them wasn’t just a genre of music, it was something of weight, importance and heritage that required respect and passion to engage with fully.
Bigato and Thalita were keen to communicate to the group that the rhythms of Maracatu are like building blocks- fundaments and components of a larger whole. For example, the heartbeat of Maracatu is the Luanda- a heavily syncopated rhythm with a weak beat on the pulse and a heavy accent on the 16th just after it. However, this alone doesn’t make a Maracatu. When you begin to combine the Luanda with other rhythms such as the Baque De Parada or Martello and introduce the Loas, then you get something truly incredibly special. The Loas and the rhythms are fundamentally connected, each lilt in the words follows a lilt in the rhythm, each break in the beat is accompanied by a break or active response from the lyrics. At the end of the three days our group of learners really seemed to have internalized this concept, resulting in a really fluid and moving rehearsal and performance on the 29th of May.
The workshops were facilitated in such a way as to allow complete beginners a window in to Maracatu- perfect for our newly engaging participants who’d picked up a love of rhythm from our community samba band who wanted to try something a little more rooted in the cultural traditions and beliefs of Brazil. That’s not to say that our advanced learners were forgotten about however, as each member of our house Maracatu band Baque De Ogum got the benefit of a technique masterclass and an incredible array of new material to test their mettle with.
Our relationship with Porto Rico is nigh on familial following our exchange in 2017 (As described here by my esteemed colleague Laura) and incredibly has continued to grow as further exchanges have taken place. I’m thrilled to say that off the back of this latest residency this partnership shows no sign of slowing, and it continues to be a privilege for us and our young people to be part of something so special.
