SUSU PAMPANIN DRUM SOLO LAB 2026

Susu Pampanin is coming back to Karavan Studio as part of our April Tripleheader!

And she pitched an idea for a belly dance drum solo workshop that immediately made me stop and say… WHAT? What if we talked about drum solos the way musicians talk about entire pieces of music? What if, instead of just listening for when we can shimmy and when we can accent, we dig into the details of what’s actually happening in the composition.

WHAT WE'LL EXPLORE

Drum Solo Composition

How a drum solo is structured as a musical piece with sections, transitions, and development. Understanding structure helps dancers recognize where they are in the piece.

Percussion “Instrumentation”

A drum produces many tones—dum, tek slap, rolls, highs, lows, etc. Each sound can inspire different qualities of movement. Learning to distinguish and recognize those sounds opens new expressive possibilities.

Mood and Musical Character

Drum solos shift in emotional tone. We’ll explore how to identify those changes and translate them into movement.

Tempo and Volume

Drummers know something dancers often miss: Slow doesn’t always mean soft. Fast doesn’t always mean loud.

For dancers, that means: Soft movement doesn’t have to be small. Strong accents don’t have to be large.

Understanding this separation and how to mix and match with intention dramatically increases movement variety and musical clarity.

INTERACTIVE RHYTHM LAB

Participants are encouraged to bring:

• frame drums
• tambourines
• finger cymbals

For part of the workshop, dancers will become Susu’s background percussion section, experiencing rhythm from the inside out.

Feeling the structure of a drum solo physically helps dancers internalize the music in a powerful way.

SUSU PAMPANIN DRUM SOLO LAB 2026 – $75

with Karen Barbee

Saturday, April 11, 2026 (3:00 – 6:00 PM CST)
Join us at The Karavan Studio, or via Zoom Room

This workshop is part of the Karavan Studio Tripleheader Weekend, featuring a live performance later that evening by Badrawn.

_{Susu is a treasure and she doesn't get here very often. This lab is open to all dancers. PB students - get your discount by using your respective package codes.}

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