I sat looking at the platform and wondered what would be in store for me tonight.  The large, modern stage had been set up outside Lincoln Center in the Damrosch Park band shell for the International Body Music Festival.  As the evening grew steadily darker, and the rain fell more steadily, the show began.

The performance by Celina Kalluk and Lucie Idlout was like nothing I had ever heard before.  Cousins, the two women were of the Inuit tribe of Northern Canada.  They began to perform Inuit throat-singing.  They stood very close, facing each other.  Their costumes were modern but with native twists such as fur collars and hoods.  Sharing one microphone they sang together.  Once voice was very deep and the other one higher.  The singing is a game.  One breathes in while the other breathes out, one leads and the other one follows, always trying to outdo the other.  The music was very coarse but Kalluk and Idlout also performed a softer version that involved more breathing.  The Inuit throat-singing had the festival off to a fun start.  The women began singing imitations of their environment.  Having the audience guessing, they performed a handsaw and a seagull.  Remarkably, both songs sounded like the object/animal they were trying to impersonate!  Both women had fun with the performance and that was conveyed to the audience.  With various pitches, speeds, and subjects, Celina and Lucie’s performance wowed the crowd and me.

Continuing on from the previous act, SLAMMIN All-Body Band came on.  Vocalists Destani Wolf, Zoe Ellis, and Bryan Dyer, beat boxer Steve Hogan and body musician Keith Terry stepped out onto the stage.  They all wore neat clothes but were definitely things they could move in.  Tucked into the right hand corner of the subtly lit stage, they blew me away.  Influenced by jazz, funk, R&B, and world music, they combined vocals, body, and dance into a magical music form.  Each member made different movements and created different sounds, but together they created a harmonious melody.  Each member had solos that proved to anyone in doubt that this group had talent.  The solo piece by Zoe Ellis was very moving and she blended the vocals with the music created by the other members.  However, the solo by Destani Wolf left something to be desired.  She was over powering and took away from the body music.  Steve Hogan was by far my personal favorite.  As a beat boxer, he controlled the beat, speed and emotion of the music.  Dancers entered the stage at some points but were trying to hard to be the stars of the show.  What struck me with SLAMMIN All-Body Band was that they combined simple, everyday movements, a stomp of the foot, a slap of the knee, a hand clap, and put them into such a sequence that music was created.  The Band had fun and it spread to the audience when Keith Terry got the audience involved, having it repeat his movements.

Derique McGee performed African-American Hambone.  What is Hambone?  I had no idea until he explained.  Derived from the sounds of African drums, the music form was born when slaves in America had their drums taken away because their owners thought they were using them to send messages.  The music form honors family, culture, and ancestors.  McGee began to play, using all parts of his body.  The rhythm and energy was infectious.  Derique enjoyed performing and the audience enjoyed watching him.  He never stopped but called out what he was doing at the time.  Derique was funny, personable, and thoroughly enjoyable to watch.  He incorporated new and old when he did Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.  From his performance I learned that music is a way to freely express yourself but it has a lot more to do with being free, for a moment or forever, than I had ever thought.

Barbatuques graced the stage next.  While this was their New York debut, they have seen the world.  They have performed internationally in countries including South Africa at the World Cup, France, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Lebanon, Russia, Senegal, Columbia, and China.  They entered the stage slowly in procession.  Each wore clothes in various shades of black and grey.  It took me a while to figure out how each costume was connected, but then it hit me.  They all had some form of the same symbol on them somewhere, a circle with two stick arms, in the motion of clapping.  Oh how fitting that symbol was!  They exploded with stomping, clapping, and making noises with their hands and mouths.  The volume went up and down creating wonderful beats and rhythms. The choreography was impeccable.  Each member knew exactly what they were doing and had unique sounds that they made, blending perfectly.  The creation of a balance of body, voice, and vocals created amazing, heart-pounding music.

Amidst near pouring rain, the evening closed with a group presentation.  SLAMMIN All-Body Band and Barbatuques performed together.  They even brought out Celina Kalluk and Lucie Idlout and Derique McGee.  This final performance together showed that even though these groups were from all over the world and spoke different languages, music is a language unto itself that anyone can speak if they have a passion for life, excitement, freedom, expression, and a touch of magic.