Photographs

Recordings

About Beverly

Performances

Educational Programs

Collaborations

Comments

Professional Experiences

For Educators

Dancing Drums

Shekere... Congas... Dundun... Cuica... Flying Hands, Shifting Feet, Swirling Braids... Using a fascinating array of percussion instruments, Beverly shares excitement of universal rhythm and world cultures through music, stories and dance. Highly interactive. The audience participates with call and response, exploring poly-rhythms, dynamics, improvisation, and song. Can be designed to support a particular curriculum (see insert). All ages. Audience size varies with venue and age group.

Hand to Heart

Welcome to the church of the Holy Groove! Let the drums talk! A woman of many colors, Beverly shares real-life tales of global adventures in the world of the drum. She weaves colorful, rhythmic tapestries on collected and homemade percussion; blending music, movement, and spoken word to explore issues of race, gender and cultural identity in America. Followed by an audience discussion. Adults and families.

Gourd Fever

Gourdgracious!! The gourd or calabash has been used for hundreds of years in cultures all over the world. Beverly shares its story, blending folklore, history, humor, science and art with music on an amazing variety of gourd instruments. (All ages)

The Science of Sound

A percussive, participatory exploration of sound, vibration, wavelength, frequency and other scientific phenomenon. (K-6)

Performance Ensemble

Percussive Jazz Theater

Beverly joins forces with some of North Carolinas finest improvisers to create a unique marriage of jazz with percussive inspirations and traditions of Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas and beyond. This four- to eight-piece ensemble (depending on venue and budget), features a diverse array of world percussion as well as traditional jazz instrumentation, blending elements of music, movement and spoken word.

Polyrhythmic concepts rooted in Africa, weave musical tapestries with jazz harmonies and improvisations. Heart to hand, skin on skin, strings and wind explore diversity old and new... testing boundaries, building bridges, celebrating and exploring the infinite potential of the groove. Beverly Botsford Cross-Cultural Percussionist Educator Movement Specialist Teller of Tales Drum Maker Earth Shaker Student of World Cultures Africa, the Americas, and Beyond!

Collaborations

Ritmos Sabrosos

Taste the many flavors of Latin American rhythms, including Brazilian samba, batucada and Cuban rumba, guiro y son. A multi-lingual celebration. Joined by a guest musician.

Singing Hands - Around the World in Rhythm and Song

Singer/guitarist Elise Witt is a consummate performer, a witty and intelligent composer, a multilinguist, and a prolific recording artist. Together, Elise and Beverly are the guides on a musical journey exploring song and rhythm from cultures around the globe. In this inspired collaboration, they share knowledge from their travels through Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, in a participatory celebration of the two oldest forms of musical expression voice and drums. Performance, workshop, and/or residency. For more information on Elise, see www.elisewitt.com.

African Arts Alive

African Arts Alive is a collaboration with a guest dancer, celebrating African culture with drums and dance and song. Years of study as well as experiences on the continent serve as a foundation for this energetic, informative and highly-participatory presentation.

Talking Drums

Talking Drums is a collaboration with storyteller Louise Kessel. Words and rhythms intertwine in magical ways to paint pictures in sound and inspire journeys in imagination. For more information on Louise, see www.carrboro.com/louise.html.