RAW Samba

''Raw Samba was founded in 2001 to bring Samba to the Isle of Wight. The Island had loads of carnivals and festivals but no Samba Bands!. A grant was obtained for drums and workshops. Professional percussionist, Rupert Brown, lead the training and became the director. Raw blossomed with over 50 members. The demand for Samba on the Isle of Wight then outstripped supply (Raw were performing some 40 gigs per year) and smaller bands spawned from Raw. Rupert moved on to other projects and Emma More, who had moved to Island having lead Scottish Samba bands, took over as director in 2004. Raw are now an independent non profit community group. They train Tuesdays 18:30 to 21:00 at Ryde Theatre. The 2005 season was just as busy for Raw. They were featured on the BBC2''s ''The Culture Show'' and tried to set a new world record ''The Worlds Largest Floating Percussion Performance''.- 80 drummers performing whilst floating at sea!