Beat the Donkey January 14, 2008

Cyro Batista's Beat the Donkey

Beat The Donkey is more than just a band. It is a multicultural, polyphonic, highly creative and entertaining group that takes rhythms beyond their natural frontiers and creates a brand of music too innovative and varied to be labeled.

The ensemble’s name, "Beat The Donkey", comes from the Brazilian expression "Pau Na Mula" meaning "Let’s go, let’s do it!"

There is an undeniable aura of fun and humor whenever Cyro Baptista takes the stage, and this is particularly true with Beat The Donkey. It is a wild, unstoppable and torrid world beat percussive ensemble that blends and beats a bewitching stage stew of untamed percussion, tap dance, martial arts, samba, jazz, rock and funk. They accomplish this by mixing instrumentation from all over the globe and unusual percussion inventions of Cyro’s own creation. The musicians hail from all over the world, wear wild, elaborate costumes and frequently leave their instruments to break into spontaneous dance, making the group fascinating to watch as well as listen to.

Cyro has always rejected rigid classifications in terms of instrumentation and compositional approach. With Beat The Donkey he gives free reign to his imagination, mixing instruments from Brazil, U.S., Indonesia and Africa with his own instruments. It is mysterious, spellbinding, infectious, irresistible dance music. Cyro himself roams the stage, conducting his troupe with fiendish glee, keeping the audience's attention captive for the whole show.

The amazing thing about Beat The Donkey is the unending variations; you could listen to them all night and still want to hear more.