Things are about to get loud in Fort Lauderdale. A massive musical gathering, celebrating the art of drumming, is coming to The Parker Playhouse. <\/p>\n
Deco\u2019s rhythm king, Alex Miranda, tells us why this beat can\u2019t be beat. Miamibloco brings musicians together to spread the sound of samba, Brazil\u2019s number one musical style. Don\u2019t be surprised to find yourself out of your seat, dancing in the aisles because the rhythm is gonna get you.<\/p>\n
The drums are the heartbeat of music and few musical hearts beat stronger than Miamibloco.<\/p>\n
The folks behind Miamibloco want to musically move you and they\u2019ve learned their lessons at a very soulful place.<\/p>\n
Dr. Brian Potts: \u201cMiamibloco is a Miami-based samba school inspired by the samba schools that you find in Rio de Janeiro that celebrate Carnival every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going to school has never been so cool.<\/p>\n
Dr. Brian Potts: \u201cAnd we\u2019ve built our own here, where we teach people to play from literally nothing. You come, you learn how to play with us and in the span of the last four years, we\u2019ve gone from 15 drummers to 80 drummers and the idea is to make music accessible to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s enough power to knock down a brick wall.<\/p>\n
The upcoming show is called \u201cFrom the Street to the Stage.\u201d That sums up samba\u2019s place in Brazilian culture.<\/p>\n
Suon Francis: \u201cSamba is lived across the poorest parts of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro to the most high end parts. You can find samba in the favelas and you can find samba in the most expensive clubs happening on the same night at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
This seems like the perfect time to explain what bloco means.<\/p>\n
Suon Francis: \u201cA group of drummers, dancers and just community members that come together to support and enjoy the music that is being created.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sounds of Miamibloco are a mix of styles that create something brand new.<\/p>\n
Suon Francis: \u201cWe all share a drum culture from different countries. So there\u2019s Dominicans, Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and the drum culture comes from all over the Caribbean areas of these countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miamibloco is essentially a street band. This is their first indoor gig, but they\u2019re not worried about blowing away the audience with their powerful volume.<\/p>\n
Dr. Brian Potts: \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is adapting the group so instead of having 80 people on stage at the same time, we\u2019ll have a set of instruments up here from about 30 people and then we\u2019ll rotate people in and out so everybody gets a chance to play on this historic, awesome stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be drawn into the music played by Miamibloco.<\/p>\n
Suon Francis: \u201cYou don\u2019t know that it\u2019s happening but all of a sudden you\u2019re just part of one whole thing and it\u2019s not in your mind; it\u2019s like in your body and you can\u2019t help it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miamibloco brings \u201cFrom the Street to the Stage\u201d to The Parker Playhouse on Sept. 26.<\/p>\n