Motivated by a near brush with death and supported by prize money from a Guggenheim Fellowship, percussionist and rhythm dancer Keith Terry launched the International Body Music Festival in 2008 in his hometown of Oakland, California. Central to the story is his friendship with Fernando Barba, founder of São Paulo’s Barbatuques — a chance connection that blossomed into a creative partnership and deep personal bond that would be tested by time, distance, and illness. Over the following decade, the festival traveled from the Bay Area to São Paulo, Istanbul, Paris, Bali, and Ghana, bringing together artists who use rhythm, movement, and voice as a shared physical language.
Featuring performances by Terry’s Slammin All-Body Band, Barbatuques (Brazil), KeKeÇa (Turkey), Molodi (USA), and others, Through the Body blends performance and personal reflection to explore the evolution of Body Music, the challenges of working across borders, and the human impact of sustaining a global arts community.
“Snapping, clapping, and singing — we are doing basically the same things,” Terry reflects. “But it’s amazing how culture lives in the body. That was the real surprise.”
