Entertaining the walkers on a cold and windy Oriental Bay evening
Wellington Batucada drummers entertain the sponsored walkers at Walking Stars Wellington. Video by Tom S Etuata.
Walking Stars Wellington 2019
comment
Category Archives: Videos
Coastlands Carnival 2019
A birthday celebration up the coast
Wellington Batucada drummers and dancers perform at the 50th Birthday Celebration for Coastlands Mall in Paraparaumu. Video by Tom S Etuata.
This was a fun gig that got a lot of people moving. The organizers have given us great feedback and apparently the crowd was good over the whole event. Here is a thank you from Jenny who was the main organiser (and a fellow sambista herself from Samba Ao Vento in Palmy).
Thank you all so much for helping put on such a great event on Saturday. We reckon about 4000 people over the five hours. It was such a large space it never felt like that but food trucks sold out and those who were there had a good time. The MC, production, stage, sound and music were exceptional. Thank you!
Jennie Gutry
Ode to the Moon 2019
Wellington Pride Parade 2019
Bringing the love to the streets of Wellington
Pride is such a wonderful gig to be a part of. We’ve watched this fantastically inclusive event grow over the years to become quite epic, and it’s one of the band’s favourite parades – probably the craziest parade we do. The crowd and all our fellow paraders are so much fun.
Wellington Batucada at CubaDupa 2019
CubaDupa weekend 2019 – samba jam party
Jamming with our samba-loving mates from around NZ
Wellington Batucada host a samba jam party at the Cook Island Hall for all our samba-loving friends and bands from around the country. Video by Tom S Etuata.
Featuring Samba Ao Vento (Palmerston North), Sambatron (Hamilton), Tauranga Samba (Tauranga), Bay Batucada (Napier/Hastings), Nelson Ambassadors (Nelson), and Wellington Batucada (Wellington). With a bonus glimpse of Wellington Batucada’s Opera House stage performance the following day.
Newtown Fair 2019
Newtown does it again!
What a great gig at simply the best Street Festival (again).
Blazing sun, kaleidoscope of colours, plenty of assorted Newtown randomness, keen crowds, a great Taiko collaboration (with some very cool dance-group improvisations for the Taiko beats), and a whoppa turnout (up to 70 performers in total perhaps?). What else to say except WOW!
For those on their first time – now you know what us older hands have been going on about in the lead-up to all this eh! We’ve also had a huge number of enquiries from people wanting to join up especially as dancers after seeing us at the Festival.
Was an epic day and well received by the community. 🌞
Gordo, Batucada’s gig co-ordinator
Part One. Wellington Batucada drummers and dancers perform in the streets at Wellington’s iconic Newtown Festival.
Video by Tom S Etuata.
Island Bay Festival 2019
Fun in the sun by the sea
Wellington Batucada drummers and dancers perform in Wellington’s Island Bay Festival Parade. Video by Tom S Etuata.
Thank you from Island Bay Festival:
Hi everyone! Slightly belated, but still heartfelt thank you to you all and your groups for yet another fantastic parade!
Couldn’t do it without you all, and your enthusiastic participation, marching, singing, dancing, trike-riding, acrobat-ing, instrument playing and marshalling really makes it an awesome event. Please pass on my thanks to everyone from your groups who was involved. Til next year… Mel
The Menagerie Variety Show
Fun and frolics on-stage at the Opera House
The last time we were on-stage at the Opera House was for the DANZdance20 gig back in 2013 – so it’s been a while.
25 drummers and 10 dancers from Batucada took to the stage for The Menagerie Variety Show – invited as the “intermission entertainment” – and a brilliant time was had by all.
It was a long day – beginning with a stage walk-through at 3pm. It’s always reassuring to be able to experience the stage and plan how you’re going to get on and off before you do a big gig like this one – and producer extraordinaire Rachel Rouge and her team made sure that every one of the multiple acts in this fabulous Variety Show were able to do just that.
The Opera House is such a beautiful old building – a perfectly grand and decorative old-fashioned theatre – with a veritable rabbit warren of dressing rooms on multiple levels behind the scenes. When you reach the bottom of the many flights of stairs from your dressing room you step through the door from the light-filled stairwell into a dimly-lit and cavernous backstage area. It’s another world.
Batucada beginners’ dance course starts 5 August 2018
Who’d like a piece of the Samba action?
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 |