Keith Terry

A universal language that we all speak is music, and we can use our bodies in many different ways to create it.  After nearly three hours at the International Body Music Festival Concert, presented as a part of Lincoln Center Out of Doors, all of the performers deliver a mind-blowing, collaborative encore which feels like it will last through the night.  Although by this point most of the audience members have already dispersed, the performers aren’t frazzled.  In fact, they make a rather admirable choice and raise their energy even more.

I knew that I was in for something special when the festival started off on a high note in Josie Robertson Plaza with the Lion Dance. I was immediately overcome with a flow of color and sound when these performers claimed their twenty minutes of fame.  [click to continue….]

Tagged as: Barbatuques, Celina Kalluk, Derique McGee, International Body Music Festival, Keith Terry, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lucie Idlout, SLAMMIN All-Body Band

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Regardless of musical inclinations, everyone is born with the potential of being a human instrument, equipped with a voice and a body.  The first music probably exploited these tools to stomp, clap, sing, snap and chant.  On August 12, at the International Body Music Festival concert, presented as a part of Lincoln Center Out of Doors, various artists from throughout “The Americas” paid homage to the roots of music.  The performances were a slamming step away from the catchy lyrics and swooning electric guitars of pop; they were deceptively simple, refreshing and culturally insightful.

Artistic director Keith Terry’s SLAMMIN All-Body Band gave groovy, soulful and relaxing renditions of Eden Ahbez’s “Nature Boy,” Outkast’s “I Like the Way (You Move)” and Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed.”  The balance between words and sounds was soothing: beat boxer Steve Hogan provided the beats and bounce, Destani Wolf sang with melting vocals, and Bryan Dyer strummed a groovy imaginary bass.   [click to continue….]

Tagged as: Barbatuques, Celina Kalluk, Derique McGee, International Body Music Festival, Keith Terry, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lucie Idlout, SLAMMIN All-Body Band

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Imagine a three- hour concert with no instruments at all.  If there are no instruments, what is there?  At Lincoln Center’s International Body Music Festival, the viewers were invited to find out. The objective of the night was to expose viewers to the lines where music and dance blur.  All of the acts had something in common: the human body was used to its full potential.

The first group was the throat singers Celina Kalluk and Lucie Idlout who hailed from Nunavut, Canada.  This was definitely something I had never heard before.  [click to continue….]

Tagged as: Barbatuques, Celina Kalluk, Derique McGee, International Body Music Festival, Keith Terry, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lucie Idlout, SLAMMIN All-Body Band

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Curious crowds of onlookers joined to circle around beautifully costumed Chinese performers.  Their white makeup complemented their bright garments.  It could have easily been a picture perfect scene from one of their all too familiar exotic parades.  The swarms of people sadly took away most of the view.  Yet entertainment mostly arose by the laughs and warm smiles coming from the troupe’s faces.  And without much trouble, their growing audience followed their blaring percussive instruments into Damrosch Park, ending the “Lion Dance”.

International Body Music Festival Concert: The Americas last Thursday,  as a part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Summer series, fused traditional and contemporary forms of music using only the human instrument.  There was but one question on my mind all evening.  How?  [click to continue….]

Tagged as: Barbatuques, Celina Kalluk, Derique McGee, International Body Music Festival, Keith Terry, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lucie Idlout, SLAMMIN All-Body Band

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