Bay Area drum guru Michael Spiro hosts three rare Triangle workshops this month in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Leading off the sessions on Thursday, Jan. 9, is a beginner/intermediate class in Afro-Cuban Conga technique. At the Orisha Song Class on Friday, Jan. 10, students sing Afro-Cuban songs to the Yoruba gods, accompanied by Spiro and local drummers. Fans of Brazilian Carnival won’t want to miss out on the Samba Batucada class, Saturday, Jan. 11, a hands-on introduction to the bateria percussion used by Rio’s “Samba Schools.”
Space in all three workshops is limited, and some previous knowledge and/or instruments may be required, so please contact Mary Overby ([email protected] or 967-7311) or Robert Cantrell ([email protected] or 245-3303) for information, directions, and to pre-register. You can learn more about Spiro, a prodigious educator, performer, and expert in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian folklore, at his Web site,
http://members.aol.com/mspirobata/. –Sylvia Pfeiffenberger
