Manchester School of Samba were formed in March 1995 to foster the appreciation of Brazilian culture through rhythm and dance. We are a community association which focuses on carnival art forms, open to all people. We currently have 64 fully fledged members including dancers, a bateria, brass section and puppeteers.

The drumming session is lead by Tony. Drums and sticks are provided but you may like to bring a snare down if that is what you want to play. The dance class is lead by Danny, come dressed to be active: a good pair of trainers won't go amiss.

Manchester School of Samba meets for a class every Wednesday, 7.30 till 10pm at Ponana Souk Bar, Charles Street, Manchester. You can come and drum or if that's not for you then you can join in the dance class!

MSS Workshops MSS offer both one and two-day workshops in both dance and percussion.

One-day Workshops

Drum Tutor + assistant(s) and enough instruments for a 30 piece Bateria. One day comprises two sessions each lasting at least 1 1/2 hours.

Dance tutor and one or more percussionists to provide the music or the dance tutor works to the music of the drum tutor.
Drum Tutor + assistant(s) and enough instruments for a 30 piece Bateria. One day comprises two sessions each lasting at least 1 1/2 hours.

Half-day Workshops

Drum tutor and enough instruments for a 30 piece Bateria. One session lasting at least 1 1/2 hours, morning, afternoon or evening.

Dance tutor. One session lasting at least 1 1/2 hours, morning, afternoon or evening.

Each workshop is tailored to suit the interests and abilities of the participants’ abilities, backgrounds and age

Tony Watt

The principal workshop leader (Tony Watt) devised and taught the course which led to 1,200 drummers playing together in Manchester's Castlefield basin in '00, as well as co-ordinating a small Brazilian Festival (MAS) in Stoke on Trent in '01!

He has also taught undergraduates in the Höchschule fur Musik und Theater, Rostock, Germany, and assisted at the Redondo Samba Festival in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He has been commissioned to lead large groups of drummers in Belfast, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and London. He teaches basic & intermediate percussion for City College, Manchester.

Danny Henry

The principal dance tutor (Danny Henry) has been a dancer with Inner Sense Percussion for over 10 years and is a freelance choreographer who works both at home and abroad.

Gifted with the ability to motivate people of all ages and abilities to get up and dance!

Manchester School of Samba (MSS) is a pool of people interested in Carnival styles, in particular Brazilian Percussion and Culture, rhythms, and pieces that can be performed in any context, on the street or indoors. We offer for performances and/or workshops in a number of different formats, according to requirements:

Parade by the whole school

A giant puppet, 10 dancers brass section and up to 25-strong (or more) bateria Bateria = The Brazilian name for a body of drummers who play a rhythm based on the chorus beats played on atabaqué by the palms of the players hands, the Angolan batuqué (percussion band) playing in the Carnival styles of three coastal cities in Brazil (Rio, Salvador and Recifé/Olinda) sometimes joined by players from other bands.

MSS

2-8 dancers & 10–15-piece bateriaBateria = The Brazilian name for a body of drummers who play a rhythm based on the chorus beats played on atabaqué by the palms of the players hands, the Angolan batuqué playing traditional songs and percussion instrumentals in styles drawn from all over Brazil.

Club/Café Band

A 10+ piece band comprising elements of the above, suitable to play a PA type set, indoors or outdoors as required by the promoter. Typically a small band using lightweight drums and handheld percussion. For a heavier club sound, a collection of surdos may be what you are looking for.

Pagode Group

5-8 musicians play a variety of instruments, rhythms and songs from Brazil. "Pagode" (pronounced Pa-go-adje) is the sort of acoustic instrumentals played at home or in a small bars using hand held percussion, guitars and voice or brass or flute. Intimate warm and informal.

Projects

From ambitious development projects such as Manchester 5000 to more specific projects in schools (St Bede's - Julius Caesar) are capable of adapting their skills to suit whichever idea you have in mind.