Category Archives: Upcoming events

Sambanui Batucada at the Dowse

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Huge Samba Jam

As you may know, members of Wellington Batucada will be joined by sambaistas from all over the country this Anzac Day long weekend, to take part in a 4-day samba immersion workshop with international tutors Leon Patel and Adriana Rosso. It’s called Sambanui, and it’s gonna be a blast!

On Sunday 28 April, as a culmination of our four days of non-stop drumming, we’ll be holding a huge Samba Jam featuring Wellington Batucada, joined by our fellow drummers and dancers from all over New Zealand.

We will be gathering in the Dowse Square to showcase our new material. Come on down for a boogie!

Where: Dowse Museum, Dowse Square, Laings Road, Lower Hutt.

When: Sunday 28 April 2013, 3.30pm

More info:

Sambanui reminder & housekeeping

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Hi again everyone

I can’t believe that it’s now only FIVE (5) more sleeps until our wonderful and much anticipated Sambanui weekend!!!!

This is to remind you that today is the last day for paying your registration fee of $150 directly into the Wellington Batucada Kiwibank account, 38-9012-0348830-00.

If you are from out of town and need a ride from the airport to the venue please let me know by Monday 22 April, and include your flight arrival time.

If you are from Wellington and can help with getting visiting Sambistas out to Wainui, please let me know, again by Monday 22 April.  Also, Batucadaites – please don’t forget to bring your own drum with you.  As we will need as many timbaus, surdos, repiniques as possible – if you aren’t coming and are happy to lend your drum for the weekend this would be very much appreciated.

You’ll need to bring:

  • Sleeping bag, and blankie or duvet if you feel the cold, pillow, hot water bottle.
  • Earplugs, drum(s)
  • Towel and toiletries etc
  • Warm clothes, coat etc  (it does get cold at night!), gumboots and umbrella in case it rains.
  • Camp chairs for sitting around the fires
  • Food for all meals (except for Friday night when WB is shouting everyone pizzas), beverages (including hot drinks), bowls and cups (there is plenty of cutlery, dinner plates and pots and pans there).  There is a supermarket only 10 minutes away for stocking and restocking up over the weekend
  • Guitar, ukuleles and other instruments and music song sheets if you have spares to share for singing around the camp fires

To refresh your memory about information about the weekend including the workshop times for each day please go to our Sambanui page.

Finally, we will be giving our public performance at the Dowse Museum in Lower Hutt, at 3.30pm on Sunday 28 April.

See you all out there next week!!!
Caroline

Join us at our Xmas Party show @ San Francisco Bath House

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Wellington gets a Brazilian for Xmas!

Batucada Xmas Party posterOn Saturday 22nd December Santa is coming early, bringing the most explosive Xmas party! The heart of Rio De Janeiro is right here in Wellington this Christmas with Wellington Batucada.

This powerhouse ensemble creates breathtakingly complex walls of sound. The throbbing heartbeat of the surdo drum underpins rattling snares, layers of hand-held percussion instruments such as agogo bells, ganza shakers, tambourims, and the panting, surreal shrieks and moans of the cuica friction drum.

Joining the carnival will be Crazy Fat Brazilian: Elaine Abras sings and plays guitar, Matt Smithers on electric guitar beside Darryn Sigley on drums, and Paul Mouncey on bass.

So join us for a sweaty dance hall samba party!

No cover charge – Show starts at 8pm.

Event page on Facebook

Beginners’ dance workshops start Sunday 27 May 2012

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Learn to dance Brazilian samba!

We are pleased to announce that our 2012 beginners’ dance workshops will start at 12.45pm on Sunday 27 May, and will run till 3pm. There will be 6 workshops in total, and costs are $60 for the series if paid in full, or $12.50 per workshop. The workshops are run at our usual practice space, Thistle Hall, which is on the corner of Arthur and Cuba Streets.

The dates for the workshops will be Sunday 27 May, Monday 4 June (Queen’s Birthday), and Sundays 10, 17, 24 June and 1 July. Each workshop will run from 1 – 3pm, apart from the first which has the earlier start time of 12.45pm, to allow for the registration process.

We run our beginners’ dance workshops at the same time as our beginners’ drumming integration sessions, which gives aspiring Wellington Batucada dancers the opportunity to get their groove on to live drumming right from the start. Our dance director Arawhetu Berdiner and senior dancer Hillary Reid will guide you through our dance moves and choreography, all of which are linked to the various rhythms, patterns and breaks played by the drummers.

To find out more, check out our Join page. The page includes a form to fill in if you’re interested in taking part – and please pass this message on to anyone else you think might be interested.

Beginners’ drum workshops start Sunday 15 April 2012

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Learn samba drumming!

We are pleased to announce that our 2012 beginners’ drumming workshops will start at 12.45pm on Sunday 15 April, and will run till 3pm. There will be 6 workshops in total, and costs are $60 for the series if paid in full, or $12.50 per workshop. The workshops are run at our usual practice space, Thistle Hall, which is on the corner of Arthur and Cuba Streets.

The dates for the workshops will be Sundays 15, 22, 29 April, and 6, 13, 20 May.  Each workshop will run from 1 – 3pm, apart from the first which has the earlier start time of 12.45pm, to allow for the registration process.

To find out more, check out our Join page. The page includes a form to fill in if you’re interested in taking part.

Workshop places are filling up fast, so if you want to be involved – get in quick!

Big weekend approaches for the city

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Upcoming events in Wellington

The first weekend in February is always a big one for Wellington, and this year promises to be the same…

“So theoretically, you could head to One Love in the morning, go to Waitangi Park for the afternoon, and then join Wellington Batucada as they drum their way from Queens Wharf to Westpac Stadium in the lead up to kick-off. And if you’ve enough energy left in between – check out the OK Dinghy Regatta on the Waterfront,” says Cr Morrison.

Wellington City Council News – 21 January 2010

Brazilian drums and movies at Film Archive

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Reel Brazil at the Film Archive

Brazilian drumming will introduce a four-day season of new documentary films from Brazil at the New Zealand Film Archive tonight. The season is titled Reel Brazil.

The popular Wellington Batucada drumming group will be performing from 6.15, and there’ll be complimentary caipirinhas before the first screening at 7pm – Empress of Carnaval.

Then on Thursday, Friday and Saturday there’ll be two or three sessions each day, followed by a fund-raising screening for the drummers.
Wellington.Scoop, 26 August 2009

Saturday 20 June – Kids4Kids

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World Refugee Day 2009

Wellington Batucada will perform at the Kids4Kids event acknowledging World Refugee Day which is recognised globally on June 20. This year’s theme from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is Real People, Real Needs.

The day is designed for kids between the ages of 5-12 to ‘take them on a trip around the world’ and learn about different cultures, teaching them about refugees and humanitarian issues and have lots of fun while doing it.

This event is on Saturday 20 June, from 10am to 3pm. Wellington Batucada plays (and the dancers dance) at 12 noon.

Visit kids4kids on World Refugee Day – Dominion Post for more details.

Saturday 9 May – World Fair Trade Day

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Part of a global event

Come and see Wellington Batucada join the global event being organized by the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) called the Big Bang, at the Wellington Trade Aid store. This is part of the Fair Trade Fortnight, an intensive period of advocacy and campaigning on behalf of some of the world’s most disadvantaged groups.

This event is on Saturday 9 May, from 1pm.

Visit https://www.worldfairtradeday09.org/ for more details.