Bira Santos

Musician and Percussionist - Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Teaching a percussion workshop in Salvador, Brazil

Workshops

As of March 2020, Bira is only teaching classes online. He looks forward to getting back to the Diaspora Center when the pandemic passes.

Want to have fun, learn to play percussion, and have a different kind of day?

The Rhythms of Afro-Brazilian Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia

This workshop you learn learn about the rhythms of the traditional Afro-Brazilian Carnaval groups (blocos) and the stories they tell of the Bahian culture.

You will learn the rhythms of group such as:

  • Timbalada
  • Olodum
  • Filhos de Gandhy
  • Ile Aye
  • Cortejo Afro
  • Malê
  • Muzenza

This main objective of this workshop is to learn, enjoy, provide a different type of day. Participants will relax, have fun, and learn enough to appreciate the Carnaval rhythms and understand the basic information about this major cultural festival in Salvador.

Instruments the participants will play include marcação, repique, cajón, surdo, tamborim, timbau.

Rhythms of the Orixás

In this workshops, participants will learn:

  • The songs and some of the history of the Orixás
  • The importance of candomblé in Bahia
  • The rituals, spirituality, and musicality in the candomblé terreiros

Coming from Africa through the slaves during the slave trade, the Orixás are deities of nature that are represented by the elements of water, air, and earth.

Brazil also has caboclo worship — part of a tradition that is very similar to the indigenous worship tradition in Brazil. Candomblé has mixed together the African Orixá worship with the indigenous tradition and the rhythms of this caboclo style are very similar to the rhythms of Angolan Candomblé.

Participants will learn and practice the traditional rhythms of the Angola, Ketu, and Jeje branches of candomblé.

This workshop is for participants ranging from those that have never played percussion all the way to professional musicians.

Taste of Brazil

In this workshop, participants will learn rhythms from Northeastern Brazil, such as:

  • Maracatu
  • Cocô
  • Baião
  • Frevo
  • Caboclinho
  • Cháchado
  • Samba reggae
  • Samba de roda

Workshop curriculum is divided between the learning to play the rhythms as well as learning the history and cultural significance of the rhythm.

This is the ideal introductory workshop for those that have never played before and want to have an enjoyable and relaxing day playing percussion, while learning about the culture and rhythms of northeast Brazil. For those groups with a range of playing levels, Bira can adapt the workshop to accommodate everyone.

Organize a Workshop with Bira Santos

Price depends upon the number of workshop participants, duration, location, and subject. To organize, email or WhatsApp Bira at +55-71-98669-2147.