Members of Samba da Cidade

Dylan Moffitt

Founder and Director

While in Brazil in February 2020, just one month before the world shut down, I had a conversation with a samba school member regarding my participation, as a non-Brazilian, in Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnaval celebration. He told me that, even though he was flattered by my interest, Rio de Janeiro was not my community. Instead, he suggested that I take my new skills as a samba drummer and build a community at home. This response contained a wisdom that altered my trajectory forever. Upon return to the United States, I created Samba da Cidade as a way to unite people—professional and non-professional alike—around music, and particularly, samba, and to create a sense of community at the heart of isolation.

Directing Samba da Cidade and nurturing the drumming skills of SDC members has been a rewarding shift in my musical career, which in the past involved primarily performing, both in the classical and world music genres, within the traditional setting in which the audience watches the band. Inspired by the Brazilian samba schools’ blurring of the boundaries between performers and audiences in the Carnaval, SDC affords me the opportunity and pleasure to build an artistic experience in which the community is the band in my piece of Cleveland.

My art doesn’t hang on the wall and it doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to all of us, the listener and practitioner. It unites all those seeking unity through culture, community and each other.

Martha Sofía

Primary instrument: Surdo de primeira and surdo de segunda

Member since: 2021

Learning and playing drums with Samba da Cidade connects me with a broader community of like-minded people in Cleveland, while we honor and celebrate Afro-Latin American music and cultural practices that enrich my life in so many ways. I enjoy the amazing feeling of being a part of an entire orchestra of drums and the excitement of generating energy through rhythm with my own body and my beloved surdos.

Chime (Chi-meh)

Primary instrument: Repique

Member since: 2022

As a first-generation Nigerian who has lived mainly in the US but also Nigeria, I have found a uniquely direct connection with my cultural roots via the simultaneous study of Afro-Brazillian percussion and the powerful expression and movement of Capoeira. Joining Samba da Cidade has—in many ways—provided a foundation for this connection, which had not been accessible directly to me in either of the two worlds where I have lived culturally and physically and has helped me express a version of myself that is neither purely West African nor of the American continent but that I may never have been able to find in either alone.

Mickey

Primary instrument: Surdo de terceira and Tamborim

Member since: 2023

Over the years drumming has given me a sense of connectivity; engaging in a musical experience that brings us together, exploration of other cultures, and an inner exhilaration of mind and body. Samba is a whole new adventure and challenge, and…I’m having fun being part of it!
“Rhythm is the soul of life”
- Babatunde Olatunji

Mark

Primary instrument: Caixa

Member since: 2022

Most of my musical endeavors have been in the form of avant-garde and improvisation. The format in Samba da Cidade is tightly orchestrated rhythms, breaks and call/response sections. At my age this is a very welcomed and healthy challenge!

Ryan

Primary instrument: Surdo de terceira and tamborim

Member since: 2022

After 25 years, I returned to Cleveland and in need of reconnection. Is there a better way than playing samba with friends on a summer evening amid world-renowned museums, architecture, and a stegosaurus sculpture?

Barbara

Primary instrument: Caixa

Member since: 2021

I have been filled with rhythm all my life. Playing with Samba da Cidade, I get to express that rhythm playing the Caixa, a Brazilian snare drum. It is energizing, fun, and rewarding playing with a wonderful community of people who have become my friends. Our Bateria, the percussion section of a samba band, brings us joy and hopefully we can pass that on to others.

Carolyn

Primary instrument: Third surdo

Member since: 2021

I’ve always loved dancing and drumming, so during the trying times of 2020, I jumped at the opportunity to sign up for Dylan’s Brazilian drumming class at Tri-C. Today, our once small group of percussionists has grown into a talented and ever-growing community of drummers and dancers who meet each week to learn and practice new rhythms that we are now joyfully performing throughout the region. Samba da Cidade has been a great gift to me and to our community.

John Michael Anthony, a.k.a Obanla

Primary instrument: Repique

Member since: 2021

Earth Arrival Date: 27 February 1960 (Pisces)

Occupation: Tone Scientist

Francisco

Primary instrument: First and second surdos

Member since: 2021

As a passionate surdo drummer, I have experienced firsthand the positive effects that playing this instrument can have on both brain power and overall well-being.

Playing the surdo requires a great deal of physical coordination and mental focus, which can improve cognitive function and memory. Playing the surdo in a group setting fosters a sense of community and social connection, which is essential for overall well-being. I believe the surdo has the ability to bring joy and positivity into one's life.

Kristen

Primary instrument: Surdo de terceira

Member since: 2021

Come over and play!

Walker

Primary instrument: Mostly xocalho

Member since: 2023

Currently, I'm a music student at Oberlin studying organ, cello, batá, and as much music as comes my way. Playing and studying in Samba da Cidade, as well as at Oberlin, has changed me and my relationship with music forever. The energy of the group is simply wonderful.