Part international drill team, part polycultural rhythm section, Crosspulse delights audiences with synchronized movement, world drumming, lush harmonies and innovative body music. From jazz, Body Music, Afro-Cuban drumming and beatbox, to Appalachian banjo, African American spirituals and found sound, their high-energy performances are engaging, educational and encourage active participation. Loud, rowdy, athletic, playful, subtle, delicate and ethereal — their sounds and movement are fluently integrated, enabling audiences to see music and hear dance.
This performance of Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble was recorded live in September, 2020 for the Rhythmix Virtual Performance, Art & Learning (PAL) program, which was enjoyed by over 10,000 Alameda County students through distance learning during the pandemic. We are excited to make this video available for streaming to the public through June 30th.
* Pay-what-you-wish! Only 1 ticket needed per household, and no one turned away for lack of funds. 50% of all proceeds and donations go directly to the artists.
The Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble features Keith Terry, Omar Ledezma Jr, Bryan Dyer, Evie Ladin and Amber Hines. For more information on the group, visit www.crosspulse.com
A wonder-producing [quartet] – they drum, they dance, they chant, they slap and pat their torsos and limbs, they make visual music that fills a room with physical excitement.
—The San Francisco Bay Guardian
About Crosspulse:
Crosspulse is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the creation, performance and recording of rhythm-based, intercultural music and dance.
Crosspulse projects often involve Body Music, both traditional and contemporary, as pioneered by founding Executive Artistic Director Keith Terry. Body Music – clapping, slapping, snapping, stepping and vocalizing – is an amalgam of composition and choreography, music you can see, dance you can hear. Likely the first music/dance, the various Body Musics of the world contain kinesthetic ‘libraries’ of memories and cultural heritage, and blur the lines between music and dance.
Crosspulse has earned a unique niche in the vibrant arts community of the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1980, the organization has sponsored scores of projects, featuring outstanding artists from many cultural traditions. All of the organization’s programs involve the vital role that rhythm plays in performing arts throughout the world and explore how this commonality of rhythm can connect us in unexpected ways.