Our banda is a community of musicians and dancers from a variety of backgrounds.
Community Banda
Baque de Axé’s banda is a community of professional and hobby musicians and dancers drawn from a variety of backgrounds. Together we celebrate Maracatu carnival traditions, and have a growing repertoire of songs, percussion music, and dance. We seek to develop new partnerships and fusions for those traditions within the dynamic UK cultural environment.
We are open for new members to join our open classes from which we recruit our banda. Please see below or email us to get involved.
Open percussion classes
Our open Brazilian Maracatu Percussion Classes will restart in the Autumn.
Mondays 6:45pm to 9:15pm at Maxilla Social Club in West London.
Newbies, beginners, and experienced players welcome. No previous experience required. Led by experienced percussionist Sam Alexander, our Maracatu percussion classes cover technique, rhythms, variations, and the music’s cultural context.
£15 per class (£12 Banda/concessions)
2 Maxilla Walk, London, W10 6SW, underneath the Westway, 5 mins from Latimer Road Tube station on the Hammersmith & City/Circle Lines.
Open dance classes
Maracatu dance classes covers the basics of Maracatu movements for this traditional form of carnival dance, that has deep roots in Afro-Brazilian traditions, and is a major form of carnival in Recife, Brazil.
Newbies, beginners, and experienced dancers welcome. No previous experience required.
The classes are taught by Gladys is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a professional Brazilian, Ballroom, and Latin Dancer, Choreographer and Producer. She has performed all over Europe, Middle Eastern, Africa, and Asia, and has a wealth of experience teaching Brazilian and Latin dances for all ages and nationalities.
Our classes are on pause over the Autumn as we recover from the carnival season. Details will follow for classes starting in the spring of 2025. Please cack back for more details later this year.
