And Delhi gets dancing
8 Aug 2014 3:09 AM IST
The evening of 4 August came alive to the performance of the celebrated Colombian fusion artist Carlos Balanta when he enthralled the audiences of the auditorium of India International Center, packed beyond its capacity!
Carlos Balanta, artistically known as Batermiba, played a combination of Afro-Colombian folklore mixing it with blues, reggae and other genres. Keeping up with his reputation of one man orchestra, Carlos played drums, marimba, congas, and bass guitar with a consummate ease that saw the audience clapping and tapping all through the performance.
The artist, who maintains that he recharges himself with the energy supplied by his audience, made sure that everyone present in the auditorium were on their feet tapping to his beats, and people joining him on stage gyrating with the dancers. The resounding chorus from the audience reaffirmed the claim that music means no language, as the singer only sang in Spanish.
Dressed in traditional Colombian whites, Balanta never seemed tired as he performed for an extended period stretching the scheduled 50 minutes to over an hour. The performance reached its highpoint with a number he performed using an inflated balloon as a percussion instrument leaving the audience amazed. Thrilled by the audience support, Balanta vowed to incorporate Indian sounds in his upcoming album as he says that the Indian and Colombian music has got much in common.
Carlos Balanta, a trained percussionist from Santander de Quichao, inherited the Colombian folkloric tradition from his family. His musical journey began early at the age of 12 by playing drums and marimba at local festivals. Balanta achieved nation-wide recognition in 2012 when the famous reality TV show Colombia Got Talent introduced him on national television.
A fierce fan of genre fusion, this energetic poly-instrumentalist’s passion is to blend folklore and modernity. Baterimba has been invited to perform and run workshops at National and international conferences and has also appeared at festivals in Nepal, Croatia, France, Bolivia, Turkey, Peru and Ecuador. The audience comprised of the diplomatic corps and senior officials and saw huge participation from music enthusiasts and university students alike.
Carlos Balanta, artistically known as Batermiba, played a combination of Afro-Colombian folklore mixing it with blues, reggae and other genres. Keeping up with his reputation of one man orchestra, Carlos played drums, marimba, congas, and bass guitar with a consummate ease that saw the audience clapping and tapping all through the performance.
The artist, who maintains that he recharges himself with the energy supplied by his audience, made sure that everyone present in the auditorium were on their feet tapping to his beats, and people joining him on stage gyrating with the dancers. The resounding chorus from the audience reaffirmed the claim that music means no language, as the singer only sang in Spanish.
Dressed in traditional Colombian whites, Balanta never seemed tired as he performed for an extended period stretching the scheduled 50 minutes to over an hour. The performance reached its highpoint with a number he performed using an inflated balloon as a percussion instrument leaving the audience amazed. Thrilled by the audience support, Balanta vowed to incorporate Indian sounds in his upcoming album as he says that the Indian and Colombian music has got much in common.
Carlos Balanta, a trained percussionist from Santander de Quichao, inherited the Colombian folkloric tradition from his family. His musical journey began early at the age of 12 by playing drums and marimba at local festivals. Balanta achieved nation-wide recognition in 2012 when the famous reality TV show Colombia Got Talent introduced him on national television.
A fierce fan of genre fusion, this energetic poly-instrumentalist’s passion is to blend folklore and modernity. Baterimba has been invited to perform and run workshops at National and international conferences and has also appeared at festivals in Nepal, Croatia, France, Bolivia, Turkey, Peru and Ecuador. The audience comprised of the diplomatic corps and senior officials and saw huge participation from music enthusiasts and university students alike.
Next Story
