The beat will be infectious.
Drummers, breakdancers, all sorts of folks who keep rhythm are invited to take part in the seventh annual Rhythmfest taking place this weekend at Holly Community Park on Friday, August 12 and Heritage Park on Saturday, August 13.
Rhythmfest was founded seven years ago when the Department of Culture was formed, to fill a couple of gaps in the City’s festival offerings.
According to festival organizer Amanda Dyke, there was “the need for a multicultural festival and the need for an interactive music festival. [Since the launch of the festival] the community involvement for this event has grown exponentially.”
Dyke noted that Just Beat It!, the annual drum solo competition that is taking place at Heritage Park on Saturday, already has eight drummer signed up. “But (we can) accommodate more. We’ve heard from several that they plan to register,” she said, noting that registration for the event is open until Friday.
The festival is powered largely by volunteers and counts on audience participation. "The best image and sound is when our performers are playing and the audience grabs instruments and plays along," said Dyke. "The audience playing along with our headliners, JUNO Award-nominated Sultans of String should be an incredible experience to witness.”
Local dance and music schools are strongly represented. For those agile folk who enjoy dancing to the beat, the organizers have "hired Errol Lee and his Music is the Method program to present breakdancing" at the Holly Community Park kickoff concert on Friday evening. Dyke says Lee and his group will “demonstrate some moves and let the kids try some basic tricks out.”
One of the special event at this year’s Rhythmfest is the honouring of one of the godfathers of the drum — 74-year-old Tricky Sankaran. Sankaran is considered the foremost virtuoso of the mrdangam, an Indian style of drum.
“He made his musical debut at [age] 13,” says Dyke. “He hasn’t stopped since, creating dozens of compositions, the South Indian Music Program at York University, books on Indian drumming, the Tyagaraja Festival in Toronto, and Kalalayam, an institution in Toronto, with the goal of promoting the science and techniques of percussive arts.”
For Dyke, she says she gets something of a thrill when the drums come to life all at once. “You can feel the vibrations in your heart and soul."
More information, including a detailed schedule of activities is available on the City's Rhythmfest page.
