Batala NYC is a New York City, home-grown, Afro-Brazilian drum band composed entirely of women. These Winter’s Eve veterans are back for their fourth year of drumming and dancing in Lincoln Square.
The music of Batala originates in Salvador de Bahia, in North Eastern Brazil. The international Batalá family owes its existence to Giba Gonçalves, a drummer and composer from Salvador, Bahia. In Brazil, he was one of the founders of Cortejo Afro, an arts education project to help underserved young people living in poor communities. When he moved to Paris in 1997, he started up Batalá in Paris as the European wing of the project. Batala has since spread to over 30 international cities!
BatalaNYC was started in 2012 by Stacy Kovacs. Stacy and BatalaNYC assistant director Laura Torell traveled to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil to join Batala in the Carnival! They brought back 35 Batala drums and never looked back. In just a few years, BatalaNYC has already played over 120 festivals, street fairs, parades, parties, benefits, and even opened for the Rolling Stones on their 50th Anniversary Tour.
Location: Throughout Lincoln Square
Time: All evening