GG Bloco - Percussion

Every Tuesday
7pm - 9pm
Weekly, monthly, and annual subscription options available.

The Vale, Unit 2, Vale Mill, Off Micklehurst Road, Mossley, OL5 9JL

Drum at The Vale!

Join us to kickstart a brand-new weekly offering of Carnival activities here at The Vale in Mossley. Meet new music pals and further your skills, all with a massive smile on your face as part of the Global Grooves Carnival community!

Percussion classes are open to all abilities and experience levels. You’ll study and listen to a tantalising mix of percussion instruments in the sessions, including surdo, caixa, repinique, tamborim, and more!

Percussion instruments provided (feel free to bring yours along, but please check with a Bloco tutor first).

Members aged 12-16 to be accompanied by an adult (Future Leaders alumni may come along unaccompanied).

GG Bloco – Percussion – Tuesdays 7pm-9pm

Tutors: the GG team will take you through exciting Carnival grooves and moves!

What’s included?

Weekly percussion sessions to perk up your week playing and moving alongside some of the Carnival communities most enthusiastic and talented folks. Led by the GG artist team, our tutors will take you through exciting beats and breaks from Brazil and beyond as you learn new instruments, further your technique in percussion playing, and learn to play arrangements as part of a workshop-band. Weekly classes will run on Tuesdays for percussionists. There will also be an extra monthly special class where we will combine all three art forms (alongside the brass and melody players and the dancers!

This weekly class is available to buy as a weekly ‘drop-in’ class, though where possible we are encouraging members to subscribe to a longer term of classes to create something really special together over time.

What’s the commitment?

The more you put in, the more you will get out! We know life is busy and understand it can be difficult to commit to weekly sessions and especially practicing, but we would encourage participants to attend as many sessions as possible to get the most benefit. Come along to the monthly combined sessions to enjoy blending the percussion and melody classes with the dancers to rehearse together for that big Global Grooves energy hit!

Refreshments

You are welcome to bring along your own drinks and snacks to the sessions (let us know if you have any severe allergies that we should be aware of). You are welcome to bring your own beers along to the sessions if you wish, or to support the venue (thanks in advance!) we can open the bar for a bottles bar only (alcoholic and soft drinks available).

Any other questions?

For more information about bloco please contact [email protected] and someone from the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Get Involved

Our commitment to accessibility

The Global Grooves Bloco is for everyone.

If you would like to speak with a member of the team about an access requirement you may have, please complete the form here. We see anything that might prevent you from taking part as an access consideration (this could be due economic/financial factors, travel logistics, language/communication, or something else). Please do feel welcome to strike up a private conversation with us, as we want to include everyone who has the passion to participate.

Pricing structure *

There are many costs associated with running our Bloco. Drum maintenance, costume prep, heating, lighting, tutors costs, administration and more. We encourage those that can to help out by joining as a monthly Bloco member.

You can save a little on costs per session and also support the growth of the Bloco with a regular contribution per month. A percentage of all Full and Concessions options also contributes towards supporting others to attend. You will also get 10% discount on selected gigs, and drinks at the bar at The Vale – Plus free further study opportunities rolled in with your membership.

If access means you might attend less frequently then there is a pay per class option that might be just for you. And if costs are prohibitive, you can also pay what you can. From just £1 per session you can enjoy the Global Grooves Bloco.

Full price per session = £10
Full price Monthly Membership = £38
Concession price per session = £8
Concession price Monthly Membership = £30
Bursary per session / Monthly Membership = £pay what you can

Online payments in advance are preferred, but if you do need to pay cash or card on the day, you can.

Join Today

Join the Bloco

With our Monthly Membership you can save a little on costs per session and also support the growth of the Bloco with a regular contribution per month.

Join Today

Give it a try

If you might attend less frequently, then our pay per class options might be just for you.

Sign me up!

What does it feel like at a Global Grooves Bloco Rehearsal?

At Global Grooves we are absolutely serious about having fun! This means sharing that combined energy, all of our skills and our love of Carnival while paying homage to the cultures and traditions which we share with our international Carnival family.

Everyone is welcome but everyone is expected to give it their all, and in return you will see tangible progression within your chosen artform and feel a commitment and generosity from all.

When the drums kick in, the horn section fires up and the energy of the dancers fills the room there is no other experience like it. Your arm hair will stand on end, endorphins fill your body and the energy of Bloco will blow the worries of the week into outer space.

You can only really experience this connected energy in person, but here is a sneak peek behind those rehearsal doors.

Meet the tutors

Eraldo Marques

Percussion director

Eraldo joined us in 2004 following a series of collaborative workshops delivered by Meninos do Morumbi. Born in Brazil, Eraldo brings a cheery, grounded energy to our often hectic and exciting schedule of events! Eraldo is an exceptional percussionist with decades of experiences playing with, and leading, ensembles. He is passionate about the development of the UK Carnival scene, nurturing percussion players through weekly skills training sessions. Eraldo is VERY excited to kickstart this new bloco programme!

Emma Marsh

Percussion director

Emma is a multi-instrumentalist, top class performer, composer and arranger with a specialism in international percussion styles. As one of our youngest musical directors (having led a number events including the Queen's Jubilee Pageant), she brings an energy, skill and quality of artistry that’s simply unmatched. We have had the pleasure of working with Emma since she was around 10 years old. Emma completed our first ever Future Leaders programme in 2014, and has since become one of our lead artists and school workshops facilitators.

Holly Prest

Percussion director

As the lead project manager of our Future Leaders youth arts leadership programme, Holly is passionate about facilitating the discovery of young and emerging artists honing their artistic talents and realising their potential as active, inspired young individuals. Holly leads percussion and dance outfit Juba do Leão and youth music and dance group Jubacana. She is a huge enthusiast of Pernambucan culture from the Northeast of Brazil, sharing her discoveries far and wide through her ongoing workshop facilitation.

Leon Patel

Percussion Director

As one of the percussive founders of Global Grooves, Leon is passionate about all things to be hit with hands and sticks! His long established love of music in all forms has fed into the musical direction of Global Grooves, with a host of international Carnival styles and flavours making their way through his mind and hands into some of our most exciting projects. Leon is responsible for the overall creative development of 'Creating Carnival', with over 25+ years of experience performing, creating and producing processional events.

Join Today

Join the Bloco

With our Monthly Membership you can save a little on costs per session and also support the growth of the Bloco with a regular contribution per month.

Join Today

Give it a try

If you might attend less frequently, then our pay per class options might be just for you.

Sign me up!

Limited free parking is available at The Vale. If you require a disabled parking space or have other access considerations or questions, please contact us at [email protected]

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