Batacuda

Batacuda are percussionists who refuse to stand still. The troupe roves straight into the crowd playing anything that makes a sound: bins, prams, bicycles, coffee cups, trucks, sculptures. Circus tricks come with it, including fire juggling, shoe juggling, umbrella work and a pram balance. The stage show adds drum solos, comedy, contortion and a human pyramid, and there's a junk percussion segment where the audience is handed found objects and taught rhythms until the whole room is drumming samba. The group runs from 5 players up to 30, drums only or drums plus horns. Credits include Moomba's river parade, AFL Grand Final parades, Summer in the City at the Myer Music Bowl and the 2002 Commonwealth Games athlete celebration. They've also toured Singapore, China, Malaysia and Latin America.