The story of BATUKE! Festival
The Batuke! Festival started out of our passion for the music and dance of Afro - Portuguese countries. We realised that there is a special rapport and connection between all the Portuguese speaking countries, a recognition of common experiences through music and dance. In 2010, when we started there was no platform in the UK where Afro - Portuguese artists were represented, the community could experience their culture in a professional space, young and old, and share their common heritage. So, we decided to just go ahead and do it ourselves! We self produced initially through our regular events. It was very risky, but we believed in it so we made it work! The team derived from Iris De Brito social dance school at the time - Studio Afro Latino. Roles were delegated, artists contacted, plenty of volunteering support and voila! We became the go - to festival in the UK representing Afro-Portuguese culture, created a space for artistic development, cultural exchange and research. Guest artists came from the USA, France, Senegal, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and the UK. We were founded by the Arts Council for 5 years and developed creative partnerships.
In 2019 we achieved a fantastic milestone with our 10th Anniversary and decided to have a break.
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We are now looking towards developing a new event, investing in organisational development and research. Make sure you continue to follow us and connect with us through Afro - Portuguese culture!
Kizomba!
Want something special at your company event?
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Awards
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Xmas parties
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Weddings
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Special Birthdays
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Team bonding|Lunch hour party
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Pre/After Work
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Zen Hour
What We Offer:
* Pre-event consultation
* Performers. Salsa, Samba, African, Kizomba/Semba dancers
* Fun dance class
* Percussion workshops with live drums
* African singing class
* Singers and bands
* DJs
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​Kindly note:
* Team building sessions can last 1 - 2 hours
* Performances 1 or 2 sets of 5 - 15 minutes each for Samba dancing girls
* A full non-stop 30 min show will require a minimum of 5/6 performers
* Bands can play 1 or 2 sets of 45 minutes each
Email or Call us
Our artists are professional, reliable and punctual, in exchange we ask them to be treated fairly, with respect and be given basic courtesies such as water and an adequate place to change into their costumes.
When you enquiry abut a booking please state:​
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a) Date, place and estimate times
b) How many performers you require
c) What kind of entertainment you need, i.e, host based, performance or combination of both.
