Living Rhythm

In Living Rhythm, Joel Hanna and VanTap introduce the amazing diversity of cultural rhythmic styles in what educators might call ethnomusicology for the very young. The trio plays a variety of instruments including cajón, djembe, bodhran, shakers, claves, and guitar, plus tap dance and body percussion weaving together the music of Spain, Cuba, Ireland, and Japan. Combining elements of traditional music with forays into blues, rock, and hip-hop, Living Rhythm celebrates the beauty and diversity of everyone’s cultural music and rhythm in a way that makes everyone proud of their heritage. And for students who ask, "When will I ever use fractions in real life?" the show highlights how essential math is to all music.

 

Joel Hanna has extensive experience in musical compositions and percussion techniques, with a background in Irish dance, tap, flamenco and martial arts. In addition to command performances for Queen Elizabeth and UN diplomats, he starred in Riverdance: The Show and created Revolution: Sweat, Dance, Rock & Roll, which played in New York City. He is the executive director of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society, producer of the popular youth program TapCo, of which VanTap is the professional offshoot.