Ian Holmes-Lewis

Since 1985 I have traded as a freelance musician, visual artist, community artist, workshop leader, musical director, composer, producer, writer, maker, arts-project manager and teacher.Samba drumming in the UK has evolved far beyond the quaint simplifications of Brazilian rhythms that were once the norm.The educational aspect of the work I do with percussion begins with simple and highly accessible techniques, but can progress quickly toward a much more complex engagement with music and performance, leading, for instance, to improvisation and composition. I combine the excitement and addictiveness of community drumming with the samba’s potential to integrate a wide range of abilities and levels of experience into a new music influenced by hip-hop, bhangra and other contemporary dance genres. This translates the benefits of the samba school into a musical form that can be quickly understood and owned by non-Brazilians. There is considerable evidence that drumming activities of this type can have a beneficial effect on attention-span, mental agility, social integration, and even the immune system!The best and most durable community outcomes arise from ambitious projects with the highest artistic standards. Although it can be tricky engaging with individuals and communities (particularly young people) who do not normally participate in cultural activities, these are exactly the people who will most benefit from the experience of collaborating to meet an artistic challenge of this nature.Specialties: I have always been passionate about integrating art-forms and for twenty-odd years I have collaborated with dancers, singers, painters, sculptors, carnival artists, writers, poets, film-makers, rappers, etc. Wherever and whenever possible. The value of this kind of cross-pollination in terms of creative inspiration, symbiotic evolution and collaboration cannot, in my view, be over-stated.