Body percussion is a truly ancient way to make music that turns the body into an instrument.
In some ways, does that not make it the purest form of music, along with singing (I would suggest whistling if people didn’t find it so irritating!)?
Intrinsic to many cultures, from the German “Schuhplattler“, to the Samoan “Fa’ataupati“, there are plethora ways that people all over the world have developed distinctive styles of body percussion dances.
Some styles utilize stomping, slapping of the hands, arms, legs and torso, and foot tapping.
Even modern tap dance can be seen of derivative of traditional styles of body percussion from Africa, Ireland and The Netherlands.
There are many ways of turning the body into an instrument, both traditional and contemporary.
One contemporary dance group who specialize in body percussion is the Costa Rican group Tarambé.
With a strong regular beat driven by foot stomping, they use their hands, arms and legs to create complex rhythms. Woven in with broader choreography, this group is mesmerizing not only to watch, but to listen to.
This is one tight crew of dancers.
I shudder to think how many hours of practice must have gone into achieving such perfectionist timing.
Whereas a normal dance troupe has to only look as if they are perfectly on time, if any one of these lads is of by even a fraction of a second, you will clearly be able to hear him.
For this reason each dancer is precisely in-time with the rest of the crew and nails every step and slap.
And this talented group of dancers don’t miss a single beat!
They are also rather inventive with how they create their percussion.
It’s not just stomping and clapping with these fellas. Rather, they slap their legs, they smack their torsos and even slap their arms together or clap the back of their hands for different sounds. Paired with their incredible sense of rhythm and steady tempo, it really is a sight to behold.
And among the way it sounds, they manage to keep the way it looks as diverse and interesting as a regular dance routine.
Creating a variety of formations and utilizing the entirety of their stage, they provide a routine that does not become boring, no matter how long you watch. As they increase the beat, they vary their staging and employ domino-effect moves that entertain both the eyes and ears.
I challenge you not to want to get up and start smacking things with your hands like The Blue Man Group.
Even typing this sentence I have become aware of the rhythm of my tapping fingers. So infectious is the rhythm that these gentlemen are creating that it infiltrates every sense. Watching these talented men perform their amazing body percussion dance is truly humbling, and makes you want to grab a group of people and start slapping (…yourself(…musically))!
Their sound is almost “tribal”, and feels as if it connects to something deep within our human capability to create music from nothing.
Watch the full video below to see AND hear this spectacular group.
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