Drumming masters are making their way home after sharing a stage with award-winning country music legend Dolly Parton, at one of the largest theme parks in the USA.
The performers participated in the 2019 opening ceremony of Dollywood, with Parton exclaiming that she had been left “dumbstruck by Drumstruck”. Parton joined the African cast at their opening show, wearing a drum and playing it on stage.
In her opening talk, Parton emphasised the importance of connecting through the international language of music. She introduced Drumstruck, describing them as group that “will get your heart pumping”.
The team took 1000 drums on the trip, to allow them to share traditional African drumming techniques with the international audiences.
Drumstruck was developed due to the popularity of Drum Café’s corporate entertainment events, as a way for the public to participate in the interactive drumming experience. The theatre show has proven to be so popular that audience members frequently return to see the show again, often as many as three or four times.
Dollywood has not been the only high-profile performance Drumstruck has given. They have shared the stage with Shakira, Will.Iam, K’naan, 30 Seconds to Mars and performed at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
They have also toured Japan, Korea, Australia, and Scotland, amongst others and enjoyed an almost two year run off-Broadway in New York. The show embodies the same principles taught by Drum Café, educating guests about African music and the heritage of drumming, while connecting people through the joy of playing a drum.
Oorspronkelijk gepubliceerd op LinkedIn.