Category Archives: Fun stuff

Beginners dance and drumming course 2024

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We’re back! Come and join us!

Wellington Batucada CubaDupa 2024 team photo

After a year’s break for beginners’ dance classes, we’re back with a bang – and so are our annual beginners’ drum classes. We’d love you to join us!

The Sunday afternoon classes will run for 6 weeks, from 21 July to 25 August 2024, at 1pm – 3pm.

The cost is $135 for the course, with a special price of $75 for Batucada members who are keen to learn to dance, learn a new instrument, or refresh their skills.

Drumming classes will take place at the Cook Islands Society Hall, 220 Hanson St, Newtown.

Dance classes will take place at Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown.

Booking your spot on the 2024 course

We’ve made it super-easy for you to register and pay for a beginners’ course.

DRUMMERS REGISTER HERE: Batucada beginners’ drumming registration form

DANCERS REGISTER HERE: Batucada beginners’ dance registration form

Spaces on our beginners’ courses are usually in high demand, and numbers are limited, so please make sure you are able to attend all of the sessions before signing up.

We already have over 150 people on our “Expressions of interest” spreadsheet this year, including those who’ve been waiting two years to come to our dance classes – so we know demand is going to be super-high for 2024. Get in quick so you don’t miss out!

We’ll be in touch with more info once you’ve registered. If you can pay for your spot on the course as soon as possible, that would be great. Thanks!

More info about the courses can be found on our Join page

Come fly a flag at CubaDupa with Wellington Batucada

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Be a part of our stage show and parade with a Batucada flag

Flags blowing in the wind

Ever since the first CubaDupa back in 2015, we’ve thought about how great it would be to fill the streets of central Wellington with flags and bunting during the festival. Looking up to see colourful fabric flying in the breeze, silhouetted against the blue sky, can give your spirits such a lift – and you see flags and bunting all over the place at CubaDupa these days.

We want to add to the fun, with our own Wellington Batucada flags, carried (and enthusiastically waved) by our audience at our Sunday afternoon Swan Stage show, and the street parade afterwards.

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Wellington Batucada’s 20th Anniversary Party

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Save the date and register now!

Batucada in lights at the 2009 Cuba Street Carnival

20th ANNIVERSARY BAT-PARTY

Saturday night, 21 August 2021

Wellington Batucada is commemorating 20 wonderful years this year – we’d love for you to come and celebrate with us!

Fill out the rego form using the link below – we’ll keep you updated with details and then formally invite you to RSVP. (We’ll be sending invites to the registered list only).

Instead of getting together and playing drums, we’re planning an event that focuses on catching up with friends old and new.

There’ll be live entertainment, a cash bar and some kai. We can’t wait to get together again!

Darryn leading the band at the Petone Winter Festival, February 2009 (probably)

Venue: Toitū Pōneke aka The Hub on Kilbirnie Park (that’s next to the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre)
Date: Saturday 21 August 2021, 6:00pm-2:00am
Entry: Free

Tim leading the band at Te Papa's 10th birthday celebrations

What you need to do

  1. Register here to join our 20th anniversary database
    We’ll be sending invites to the registered list only. Make sure you don’t miss this step if you’re keen to come along.
  2. Share this blog post with ex-members you know – ask them to do the same
    Help us reach everyone by sharing the news with any Bat-friends you know – especially those from waaay back. Please don’t just send us names, ‘cos if you don’t know their email address, chances are we don’t either 🙂

Hope to see you in August!

Ngā mihi
Directors and Committee
Wellington Batucada
New Zealand

Team photo at the 2011 Rugby World Cup - Australia vs South Africa

Unite against COVID – filming a TV ad

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Marching up and down again, performing for a great cause

Wellington Batucada drummers and dancers, filming Ka kite COVID TV ad. Photo by AliG.

It’s always the same when you do any sort of filming – it always starts later than planned, and there’s always heaps of waiting around. Fortunately for us, our good friends at El Barrio had provided part of their bar as our official Green Room, which meant that we had somewhere to store our stuff, get ready, hang out, socialise, and maybe even have a beer or two. What could be better?

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Dancing into Summer with WellingtonNZ

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Why is everyone dancing around Wellington this summer?

Dance your way around Wellington this summer! Video by WellingtonNZ.com

We were rather thrilled to be invited to do a bit of filming as part of the latest WellingtonNZ promo video.

A bunch of us got together over lunch, the film crew hit “record”, and we started drumming and dancing next to the Bucket Fountain on Cuba Street.
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Batucada beginners’ dance course starts 5 August 2018

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Who’d like a piece of the Samba action?

Arawhetu and Hillary lead the dancers at Newtown Fair 2018 - photo by Paul Taylor

Our next Batucada beginners’ dance course begins 5 August 2018.

You will get to dance alongside members of Wellington Batucada while our Dance Directors teach choreography from our Samba repertoire. No dance experience required and everyone is welcome (all genders).

The cost for the beginners’ course is $80 for 6 weeks. Or you can pay $20 per individual session.

Dance course dates

Venue: Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba St, Te Aro Wellington.

Our beginners’ dance classes will be held every Sunday for 6 weeks, in two 3-week blocks. Classes run from 1pm to 3pm as follows:

Week Date Time Venue
Week 1 Sunday 5 August 1-3pm Thistle Hall
Week 2 Sunday 12 August 1-3pm Thistle Hall
Week 3 Sunday 19 August 1-3pm Thistle Hall
NO CLASS Sunday 26 August NO CLASS
Week 4 Sunday 2 September 1-3pm Thistle Hall
Week 5 Sunday 9 September 1-3pm Thistle Hall
Week 6 Sunday 16 September 1-3pm Thistle Hall

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Batucada beginners’ drumming course starts 10 June 2018

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Learn samba drumming with Wellington Batucada!

Tamborims and agogos onstage at CubaDupa 2018

Once a year we run an 8-week block of beginners’ drumming classes. These are held on Sundays from 1pm to 3pm, before our regular band practice.

Our next Batucada beginners’ drumming course begins 10 June 2018.

Overview of the course

This is an opportunity learn the basic techniques and patterns on a number of instruments and cover the rhythms of Brazil including samba, samba reggae and merengue. You will be guided by our directors Darryn Sigley and Tim Cooke into the wonderful world of samba, and we aim to have at least one experienced Batucada member supervising each section so that whatever instrument you’re playing, there’s someone there to help you.

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Batucada beginners’ dance course starts 27 August 2017

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Learn to dance samba with Wellington Batucada!

Newtown Fair 2016

Our next Batucada beginners’ dance course begins 27 August 2017.

Dance course dates

Our beginners’ dance classes will be held every Sunday for 6 weeks from 2pm to 4pm as follows:

Week Date Time Venue
Week 1 Sunday 27 August 2-4pm Thistle Hall
Week 2 Sunday 3 September 2-4pm Thistle Hall
Week 3 Sunday 10 September 2-4pm Thistle Hall
NO CLASS Sunday 17 September The band will be away at the Hastings Blossom Festival
Week 4 Sunday 24 September 2-4pm Whitireia Performing Arts Centre – Studio 1 on Level 2
Week 5 Sunday 1 October 2-4pm Whitireia Performing Arts Centre – Studio 1 on Level 2
Week 6 Sunday 8 October 2-4pm Whitireia Performing Arts Centre – Studio 1 on Level 2

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Batucada beginners’ drumming course starts 2 July 2017

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Learn samba drumming with Wellington Batucada!

CubaDupa day 1 - Batucada in the street - photo by Alex EfimoffOur next Batucada beginners’ drumming course begins 2 July 2017.

It will be held on Sundays from 1pm to 3pm at our rehearsal space, Whitireia Performing Arts Centre – 25-27 Vivian Street – Studio T1, Level 3.

The course runs for 6 weeks, dates as follows: Sunday 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 July and Sunday 6 August.

 

Screenshot of Wellington Batucada in the All Blacks Rugby World Cup 2011 victory parade - TV3Please make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes early on the first day (2 July) so that we have time to register you.

Fee is $80 for all 6 sessions if paid in advance, or $18 per session.

Existing Batucada members are welcome to come and help or try out a new instrument, $20 Batmember special price for the full course.

PLEASE NOTE that we are asking you to pay for at least the first session in advance in order to secure your place.

Here’s the info:

Make a deposit into the Wellington Batucada bank account ($18 if paying for individual sessions, or $80 for the whole 6 week course).

Account no. 38-9012-0348830-00
Please put your name and “Beginner” in the payment detail fields

We are a community group that rely on the income from the beginners course, so you can cancel up until 2 weeks before the start, but no refunds after 18th June.

We are looking forward to sharing our music and rhythms with you. SEE YOU THERE!

If you’d like to register your interest, and receive more info about the beginner’s course, please visit our Join page and fill in the online form.

Newtown Fair 2015 - all roads lead to Batu-Ne-Zna - photo by the Renegade Peach Project

Long weekend dance workshops with Josiane Santos

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22-24 October 2016 (Labour Weekend) – come and join us!

Wellington Batucada is excited to introduce this series of dance workshops to the capital.

Teacher Josiane Santos is an exuberant force, igniting her classes with the warmth and passion she holds for her culture. The talented Brazilian has danced and performed since her childhood, and from 2002 began researching Brazilian Folk Dances as choreographic material for the production of her dance shows.

Josi has taught Afro-Dance and Samba de Gafieira workshops since 2009, and has produced and directed shows seen across Brazil, USA and Sweden. She currently resides in Byron Bay, Australia where she co-founded the Brazilian Bay Company with her partner, promoting Brazilian culture and performing arts within the community. Their inclusive and empowering approach brings joy and a great sense of achievement to those participating.

More info about the weekend’s activities can be found on our Dance workshops with Josiane Santos page.

Cost is $120 for the full three days, or payable on a per workshop basis if you prefer.

This weekend has been set up in lieu of Sambanui and is open to all samba groups in New Zealand and the wider dance community.

The workshops will take place in Wellington over 22-24 October 2016 (Labour Weekend)

Feel free to rock on up to any of the workshops and register in person. You can come to one, all or some of the workshops over the long weekend – you choose!