The Kinetika Bloco is made up of 40 young people from South London. Based in Southwark and Lambeth and aged 14 to 21 the players come from different schools and backgrounds to play together in a drumming and brass ensemble. They perform with dancers in large winged costumes and two 16ft puppets who interact with the audience during performance.
The tradition of the Bloco comes from Salvador where they arose as part of a black consciousness movement inspired, in part, by Ghandi, the South African struggle against apartheid, Martin Luther King and Bob Marley.
The Kinetika Bloco takes its musical inspiration from the traditional bands of Salvador, Jazz, Hip-Hop, funk and African drumming.
Recent performances have included Brighton Samba Encounter, the Thames Festival, The London Jazz Festival and Africa Remix at the Royal Festival Hall, Trafalgar Square Festival and Notting Hill Carnival. The flexibility of the Bloco means they can perform on an indoor stage, in a procession or on an outdoor platform. Their youth and energy infuses every performance and commands attention from any audience. Performance time can vary depending on requirements from 20 mins – 2 hours.
The Bloco Musical Director is Mat Fox and tutors include Claude Deppa & Andy Grappy (Brass) and Sam Agard (Drumming).