About us



Origins:

      Batucada started out as a small drum group composed of Dr. Daddesio, Chris Hopper, and Juliano Siqueira here at Slippery Rock University. As in the "good old days" when the group started, Batucada's purpose is (and always will be) to bring together people of different origins and backgrounds to make music. We study rhythmic traditions from West Africa and the African diaspora in the Americas with the goal of promoting familiarity and understanding of those cultures.

     Of course, between its formation and the start of this web page, Batucada has grown and expanded as more student and faculty joined the original three until it became what it is today.
     Throughout Batucada's growth, some of the original members have left us while new ones have joined...and now Dr. Daddesio is the only founding member still active with the group.



Batucada today:

      At this present moment Batucada enjoys the biggest number of active members it has ever attained, and in addition to drummers we now include dancers and singers.



What does Batucada stand for?

     Batucada is a Brazilian Portuguese term for drum music and the dancing that accompanies it--an appropriate name chosen by Juliano before he graduated. Initially the group was known as the Alembic Republic Drum and Dance Ensemble, but that name contained too many syllables and was too long to pronounce, so eventually Juliano decided to rename the group Batucada.




This page is dedicated to our founding members: Dr. Thomas Daddesio, Juliano Siqueira, and Chris Hopper.



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