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Machito Rumba Y Bata Masterclass – Version Española

Tenemos el honor de recibir en Finca Ara Oko a uno de los mejores percusionistas del mundo. Barbaro Crespo, alias “Machito”, es un tamborero ritual y rumbero que procede de una dinastía de percusionistas folclóricas de La Habana. También fue miembro principal de Osain del Monte antes de trasladarse a Europa.

El retiro está dirigido a percusionistas de nivel 2/3. Consulte nuestras directrices – http://www.fincaaraoko.com/learning-outcomes-student-levels/

Sólo ofrecemos 10 plazas para este retiro especial. Para asegurar tu plaza paga un depósito no reembolsable de 150 libras. El pago final debe realizarse antes del 10 de mayo.

Qué está incluido:

    • 4 horas de clases x 5 días más tiempo de práctica.
    • 7 noches de alojamiento.
    • 3 comidas al día.
    • Alojamiento – compartido, habitaciones individuales o glamping.
    • Acceso a instrumentos.
    • La oportunidad de actuar la última noche en un bar local.
    • La oportunidad de alojarse en una hermosa granja en el espectacular campo lejos de las distracciones de la vida cotidiana.

No incluido:

Para más información sobre los puntos siguientes, visite nuestra página de información sobre travel information.

    • Vuelos
    • Traslados al aeropuerto:
    • Seguro de viaje
    • Noches extra de alojamiento
    • Comidas extra
    • Alcohol

Costes y alojamiento: £150 de depósito. Pago completo antes del 8 de mayo de 2024

HABITACIÓN INDIVIDUAL: Earlybird £870 / Regular £910 – 1 disponible

 

HABITACIÓN COMPARTIDA: Earlybird £785 / Regular £825 – 3 disponibles. Cada habitación comparte 2 – 3 personas.

 

GLAMPING: Earlybird £655 / Regular £695 – 4 plazas disponibles. Cada tienda comparte 2 personas.

 

Cómo reservar

  1. Asegura tu plaza haciendo un depósito no reembolsable de £150. (detalles de pago más abajo).
  2. Rellene el formulario de inscripción: Retreat Registration Form (Si necesitas en Español por favor preguntarnos)
  3. Envíenos el formulario cumplimentado por correo electrónico a: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com
  4. Pague el saldo pendiente antes de la fecha indicada directamente a los datos bancarios que figuran a continuación.

Por favor, compruebe que tenemos plazas libres y lea nuestra Guía de Cancelación y Participación antes de reservar.

Nuestra política de donaciones
¿Te gustaría apoyar a jóvenes artistas (menores de 31 años) o a mujeres supervivientes de la trata de seres humanos para que puedan acceder a nuestros retiros? Si puedes destinar cualquier cantidad a esta causa, igualaremos tu financiación. Lo unico que tienes que hacer es añadir la cantidad que te gustaría donar al total cuando hagas una transferencia bancaria y hacérnos saber a través del formulario de inscripción. Le informaremos del destino del dinero. Gracias por su generosidad.

Más información sobre nuestro trabajo con mujeres supervivientes de la trata de seres humanos – Moving Voices UK

Datos bancarios

La opción más barata es pagar directamente a nuestra cuenta bancaria.
Nombre de la cuenta: Bombo Arts
Número de cuenta: 63017399
Código Sort: 08-92-99
Referencia: [Nombre del retiro/iniciales/año]

Si desea la facilidad de pagar por Paypal, por favor utilice el enlace de abajo. La transacción de Paypal tiene un cargo extra del 3,5%.

Depósito £155 – Machito Bata y Rumba ’24

 

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House Guidlines

Please take a minute to read through our house guidelines, as living at a place like ours, off-grid, is not like living in a house in a city or a town. There are several important considerations regarding living habits you may have to change while you are here to protect our home and environment. Please take the time to read through these guidelines before you arrive.

WATER: There is a serious water shortage in Spain. We do our best to conserve water by collecting rainwater and water from the outdoor shower. Please consider reducing your shower time or using our outdoor shower (cold) to minimise water waste.

**NO TISSUE DOWN THE TOILET**: Our septic tank uses a filtration system that purifies waste. If it becomes contaminated with tissue, it will stop working, and we will have a severe problem.

**NO HARSH DETERGENTS**: All the water from the main house showers runs onto the land – however, it is not collected like the outdoor shower – therefore, we use natural soaps and shampoos. We can provide these if requested.

THE PLUNGE POOL: Like in all swimming pools, the water is filtered and recycled. Please wash before entering the pool to stop the build-up of oils in the water. NO GLASS IN THE POOL AREA

ELECTRICITY: We use solar power. This means we can’t use certain electrical items such as hairdryers, irons and washing machines unless we have a full day of sun. Please check with us if you would like to use any of these items.

SMOKING: No smoking inside the house. If you are a smoker, we will designate a smoking area. Fire is a serious hazard in Spain, so please extinguish matches/cigarettes carefully.

RUBBISH: Please empty your toilet bins regularly and take them and any general waste to the black bin by the garage.

RECYCLING: There are three main recycling categories: 1) Glass, 2) Paper/card, 3) Cartons/plastics/tins. Inside the garage are larger bins to dispose of your recycling.

CHORES: You will be expected to help clear and wash dishes after each meal. We will put together a rota so this is fairly distributed.

NOISE: As this is supposed to be a retreat for everyone, it is very important that those attending can sleep without being disturbed. Curfew on making noise at night and in the morning is based on when people go to bed and wake up. Please be mindful of talking/laughing in close proximity to those wanting to sleep. We also have a siesta time between 3-5 pm.

BEFORE YOUR LEAVE: Please strip your beds, put all your dirty linen in a pile, and dispose of all your rubbish (see above).

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, let us know.

 

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Travel Information

Flights:

Almeria: 1:20mins drive
Granada: (1: 30 mins drive
Malaga: 2:40 mins drive.

Fares range from £50-350 return. Malaga is often the cheapest and has the most frequent flights.

Airport transfers:
Public transport, unfortunately, is rubbish. Coordinating your flight times with others attending the course is the cheapest way to travel to the Finca. We will help facilitate this and may suggest a flight time.

Taxi prices
Taxi to/from Almeria (7-seater) – €110.
Taxi to/from Malaga (7-seater) €170.
Bus to/from Malaga to Motril (Alsa bus company) – €10
Taxi to/from Motril €80.
Taxi to/from Granada €110

Transport during your stay.
Some of you may wish to hire a car during your stay. It is a lovely place to drive with good roads and no traffic. If you choose this option, please let us know, as we have plenty of experience of not getting ripped off by car-hire firms.

Travel insurance:
Please make your own arrangements.

Extra nights accommodation
If you wish to stay longer than seven nights, please check with us to see if we can accommodate you. If we can’t for any reason, we can suggest places to stay nearby.

Extra lessons:

1-1 lessons may be available or if you would like help organising other activities; horse riding, cycling and water sports activities, please let us know beforehand.

 

 

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Machito Rumba Y Bata Masterclass – English

Para leer la información en Español pulse aquí

We are honoured to host one of the world’s heavyweight Cuban drummers here at Finca Ara Oko. Barbaro Crespo aka ‘Machito’, is a ritual drummer and rumbero who comes from a dynasty of folkloric drummers in Havana. He was also a principal member of Osain del Monte before he moved to Europe.

We are offering only 10 places to this special retreat. To secure your place pay a non-refundable deposit of £150. The final payment needs to be made by the 10th of May.

The retreat is aimed at Level 2/3 percussionists. Please see our guidelines – http://www.fincaaraoko.com/learning-outcomes-student-levels/

What is included:

    • 4 hours of tuition x 5 days plus practice time.
    • 7 nights accommodation.
    • 3 meals a day.
    • Accommodation – shared, single rooms or glamping.
    • Access to drums.
    • An opportunity to perform on the last night at a local bar.
    • The chance to stay in a beautiful farmhouse in the spectacular countryside away from the distractions of everyday life.

Not included:

For more information on the below points please visit our travel information page.

    • Flights
    • Airport transfers:
    • Travel Insurance
    • Extra nights accommodation
    • Extra meals
    • Alcohol

Costs & Accommodation:  £150 deposit. Full payment by 8th May 2024

SINGLE ROOM: Earlybird £870 / Regular £910 – 1 available

 

SHARED ROOM: Earlybird £785 / Regular £825 – 3 available. Each room shares 2 – 3 people.

 

GLAMPING: Earlybird £655 / Regular £695 – 4 places available. Each tent shares 2 people.

 

How to book

    1.  Secure your place by making a non-refundable deposit of £150. (payment details below).
    2. Fill out the registration form: Retreat Registration Form
    3. Email the completed form to us at: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com
    4. Pay the outstanding balance by the date listed directly to the bank details below.

Please check we have spaces and read our Cancellation and Participation Guide before booking.

Our Donation Policy
Would you like to support young artists (under 31 years) or female survivors of human trafficking to access our retreats? If you can spare any amount for this cause, we will match your funding. All you need to do is add the amount you would like to donate to your total when you make a bank transfer and let us know via the sign-up form. We will inform you as to how we spent the money. Thank you for your generosity.

Find out more about our work with female survivors of human trafficking – Moving Voices UK

Bank Details

The cheapest option is to pay directly into our bank account.
Account name: Bombo Arts
Account number: 63017399
Sort code: 08-92-99
Reference: [Name of retreat/initials/year]

If you would like the ease of paying by Paypal, please use the link below.  Paypals transaction charge an extra of 3.5%

Deposit £155 – Machito Bata y Rumba ’24

 

 

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Learning Outcomes & Student Levels

Here is a chart giving a guideline of musical skills our students can expect to gain from attending our courses and workshops when combined with home study.

Level 1
Drum Technique Hand positions on various drums.

Basic drum sounds – open and bass.

Playing and understanding of 1 or 2 clave patterns with the pulse.
Drumming Styles Afro-Cuban Folkloric percussion -An understanding of simple polyrhythmic drum parts for rumba, batá and makuta with one variation.

Salsa Percussion –  An understanding of simple polyrhythmic drum parts for son, chachacha and salsa.
Context A basic understanding of how drum patterns enter and fit with associated songs.

 

Level 2
Drum Technique All sounds – slap, open, bass, fingers and muffled.

A deeper awareness of different clave patterns as a rhythmic structure and how drum rhythms interlock.
Drumming Styles Afro-Cuban Percussion – A more complex understanding of rumba – yambú, guaguancó and columbia including some variations. The ability to play more complex batá toques including conversations and variations on okónkolo and itótele. An understanding of other styles such as palo and güiro.

Salsa Percussion – A more complex understanding of charanga, son and salsa and their variations techniques and ensemble context.
Context A larger repertoire of songs including some simultaneous singing and playing.

 

Level 3

Drum Technique  

Clarity of sound and fluency of technique (i.e. effortless movement between tones at speed).

 
Drumming Styles Being able to understand and remember drum parts and how they interconnect.

Playing rumba with fluency and at higher tempos.

An understanding of some quinto phrasing.

Learning and remembering complex batá toques on all 3 drums.

Appropriate drum language for songs.

A more complete level of playing in other styles – palo, guiro etc, including lead drum phrasing.

 
Context  

A wider repertoire of song sequences and their contexts. Simultaneous singing and playing.

 

 

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Luanda Pau – Afro Cuban Dance Retreat

Luanda Pau - Afro Cuban Dance Retreat

17th – 24th July 2023

FULL

We are very excited to welcome the legendary Luanda Pau to Finca Ara Oko this year.  Luanda will teach oricha and rumba dance over five days which we hope will result in a local performance. Each day will explore different dance styles, techniques, rhythms and songs, including an introduction to learning basic drumming and singing with David Pattman and Vicky Jassey, which underpin these dance styles.

We use the word retreat to mean that as well as learning and developing, you also get a chance to relax in nature and the beautiful surroundings. We are expecting a possible excursion to Granada and to present a small performance at our local live events venue.

There are 3 places left; two glamping and one single room; book your place now by paying a non-refundable deposit.

Costs & Accommodation
Included in the price are 7 nights accommodation, three meals a day and 5 days x  5 hours of tuition. (Please see below for costs not included).

Single Room: £830 all-inclusive (£150 deposit. Full payment by 17th June)

Shared Room: £690 all-inclusive (£150 deposit. Full payment by 17th June)

Let us know if you would like to arrange to pay in instalments. Scroll down to see how to book your place.

 

Glamping: £520 all-inclusive. (£150 deposit. Full payment by 17th June)

2 x 4m bell tents with 2 people per tent. (Please note; the photo is from the company that has made our bell tents)

How to book

Step 1: Secure your place by making a non-refundable deposit of £150. (payment details below)

Step 2: Fill out the registration form: Retreat Registration Form

Step 3: Email the completed form to us at: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com

Step 4: Pay the outstanding balance by the date listed directly to the bank details below.

Please check we have spaces and read our Cancellation and Participation Guide before booking.

Bank Details
Account name: Bombo Arts
Account number: 63017399
Sort code: 08-92-99
Reference: (Your initials/ name of course)

If you prefer Paypal, use the link below, but please note we charge a 3.5% bank charge fee.

PayPal Deposit – Luanda Dance: £155

£385 (including charges)

 

Not included in the price
– Extra accommodation: please see our accommodation page for prices.

– Extra meals: Breakfast £5, Lunch £7, Dinner £10

– Alcohol

– Flights: The nearest airport is Almeria (1 hr 20mins drive), then Granada (1 ½-hour drive), then Malaga (2-hour drive). Fares range from £50-350 return. Malaga is often the cheapest and has the most frequent flights.

– Transport to and from the airport: Public transport, unfortunately, is rubbish. The cheapest way is to coordinate your flight times with others attending the course. We will help facilitate this and may suggest a flight time.  Here are some taxi prices from 2022.

Taxi to/from Almeria (7-seater) – €110.
Taxi to/from Malaga (7-seater) €170.
Bus to/from Malaga to Motril (Alsa bus company) – €10
Taxi to/from Motril €80.
Taxi to/from Granada €110

– Transport during your stay.

Car hire: Some of you may wish to hire a car during your stay. It is a lovely place to drive with good roads and no traffic. If you choose this option, please let us know as we have plenty of experience of how not to get ripped off by car-hire firms.

– Travel insurance: Please make your own arrangements.

– Extra lessons

– Extra excursions or activities: There are horse riding, cycling and water sports activities available nearby. If you would like us to organise any of these events, please let us know beforehand.

*If you wish to stay longer than 7 nights, please check with us to see if we can accommodate you. If we can’t for any reason, we will be able to suggest places to stay nearby.

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Jen Kearney Song Writing Retreat

 

25th May – 1st June 2023

Join us for a life-changing five-day songwriting retreat at Finca Ará Oko with the incredible singer-songwriter Jen Kearney. The week will offer daily lyric-writing workshops, melody crafting and chord progression development. You will participate in feedback sessions and interactive performances in a magnificently inspiring setting. You don’t need to play an instrument to participate, but you are encouraged to bring your instrument if desired.  There will be a few instruments on site including a keyboard, guitar, Cuban Tres and various percussion instruments.

About Jen:
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jen Kearney has spent some time seasoning her particular style of original music. Her sound is truly an amalgamation of musical styles including Soul,R&B, Funk, Rock, and Latin.  Kearney’s music and attention to lyrics and has met critical acclaim nationally and internationally.

Kearney released an EP entitled “Atlantic” in March of 2022.  She has written and produced six other studio albums and has done co-writing and session work with artists all over the world.  She is a 2022 New England Music Award nominee for Soul/R&B act of the year.

Kearney tours both as a solo act and with a full band. She spent 2018-2020 living in London touring the UK/ Europe with her own act and with a 9-piece Latin band called Snowboy & the Latin Section who covered two of Kearney’s songs on their latest album.  She has shared the stage with the likes of Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Daryl Hall, Mavis Staples, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, The Derek Trucks Band and more.

Retreat prices –  Only 10 places are available –  Secure your place now!

All prices include accommodation, three meals a day and tuition. (Please see below for costs not included)

There are three different types of accommodation:

Single Room: We have 1 single room available (please note you will still be sharing a bathroom). Price £830

 

Shared Rooms  (2-4 people): We have three rooms available. Price £690 each

 

Glamping (2 x 4m bell tents 2 people per tent): £520

In 2023, we will see the introduction of a two-bell tent glamping area. Our tents are luxurious, spacious and comfortable. (Please note; the photo is from the company that has made our bell tents)

Please visit our Accommodation page to read more about the facilities available at Finca Ará Oko.

How to book

Step 1: Secure your place by making a non-refundable deposit of £150. (payment details below)

Step 2: Fill out the registration form: Retreat Registration Form

Step 3: Email the completed form to us at: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com

Step 4: Pay the outstanding balance by the date listed directly to the bank details below.

Please check we have spaces and read our Cancellation and Participation Guide before booking.

Our Donation Policy
Would you like to support young artists (under 25 years) or female survivors of human trafficking to access our retreats? If you can spare any amount for this cause, we will match your funding. All you need to do is add the amount you would like to donate to your total when you make a bank transfer and let us know via the sign-up form. We will inform you as to how we spent the money. Thank you for your generosity.

Find out more about our work with female survivors of human trafficking – Moving Voices UK

Bank Details:
Account name: Bombo Arts
Account number: 63017399
Sort code: 08-92-99

Reference: Kearney 23

PayPal Deposit – Jen Kearney: £155

.

Not included in the price

– Extra accommodation per night:  £25

– Extra meals: Breakfast £5, Lunch £7, Dinner £10

– Alcohol

– Flights: The nearest airport is Almeria (1 hr 20mins drive), then Granada (1 ½-hour drive), then Malaga (2-hour drive). Fares range from £50-350 return. Malaga is often the cheapest and has the most frequent flights.

– Transport to and from the airport: Public transport, unfortunately, is rubbish. The cheapest way is to coordinate your flight times with others attending the course. We will help facilitate this and may suggest a flight time.  Here are some taxi prices from 2022.

Taxi to/from Almeria (7-seater) – €110.
Taxi to/from Malaga (7-seater) €170.
Bus to/from Malaga to Motril (Alsa bus company) – €10
Taxi to/from Motril €80.
Taxi to/from Granada €110

– Transport during your stay.

Car hire: Some of you may wish to hire a car during your stay. It is a lovely place to drive with good roads and no traffic. If you choose this option, please let us know as we have plenty of experience of how not to get ripped off by car-hire firms.

– Travel insurance: Please make your own arrangements.

– Extra lessons

– Extra excursions or activities: There are horse riding, cycling and water sports activities available nearby. If you would like us to organise any of these events, please let us know beforehand.

*If you wish to stay longer than 7 nights, please check with us to see if we can accommodate you. If we can’t for any reason, we will be able to suggest places to stay nearby.

 

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Reviews

Finca Ara Oko
Finca Ara Oko
5.0
Based on 23 reviews
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Larissa Bailadora
Larissa Bailadora
10:22 30 Jul 23
Spent a week in July at Finca Ara Oko with Luanda Pau Afro Cuban Dance Retreat. What an amazing experience this was! Alongside fantastic dancing/drumming/singing experience we enjoyed our stay in this old Andalusian farmhouse nestled in the mountains at the altitude of 1.2k meters.Vicky and David were amazing hosts, making sure our stay was comfortable, relaxing and stimulating. Despite being extremely busy with hosting, catering, drumming and singing tuition, Vicky and Dave were extremely personable and always had time to talk and listen, play games and just be there for you.The activities during the time were well planned and organised. Food - amazing, and the rooms we stayed in well maintained, comfortable and clean.I would highly recommend and hope to be back one day for more.
Chantal R
Chantal R
17:10 25 Jul 23
Vicky and Dave are both lovely people that will make you feel welcome immediately. They live in a beautiful, peaceful area where you can relax. I loved the variety of delicious fruit available all day!
Arran Clegg
Arran Clegg
09:54 25 Jul 23
A wonderful retreat in a delightful setting with focus on body movement, musicality and technique. Thanks to Vicky, David and Luanda for coming together to produce the amazing immersive and authentic Afrocuban experience!
Christina C
Christina C
12:58 20 Jul 23
A beautiful experience! I did the Coro de Clave retreat in June/July 2023. Vicky & Dave are not only expert musicians, but experts at building community. Sharing space in an off-grid farmhouse can present some challenges, but that was more than made up for by the beautiful surroundings, lovely people, delicious food, and soul-stirring music. I hope to return next year!
Alex Woodward
Alex Woodward
20:36 10 Jul 23
I had a beautiful week at Finca Ora Oko for the Coro de Clave retreat. Vicky and Dave opened their home and hearts, and shared the music they love with us. I learnt so much and had a fulfilling and joyful experience in the mountains of southern Spain. I would return in a heartbeat to do it again. It really was a special experience that will always stay with me. Truly amazing!
Erik Baumert
Erik Baumert
20:44 06 Jul 23
I just got back from a week long retreat full of singing, drumming, and relaxing. Although the dates didn’t fully fit my schedule, Vicky and Dave were very flexible in accommodating me and tailored a couple of custom workshop days to my liking which was incredible. The workshops themselves were just the right amount of challenging with a very comfortable atmosphere to learn, so I could playfully grow my knowledge of Afro Cuban songs and rhythms. The finca is beautifully situated in between almond fields with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and starry night skies - and there’s various beautiful porches and hammocks to enjoy them from during siesta. Special shout-out also to the food, I’m a vegetarian and just loved all the dishes made from fresh, local veggies! Thanks for the perfect week!
Sue Beardon
Sue Beardon
18:52 04 Jul 23
Vicky and Dave are so generous with their talent and passion to share the wonderful music of Cuba. They manage to make the experience fun and yet with attention to detail and excellence. The beauty of the setting, the vibrancy of the music, great food, excellent company all topped off with the fulfillment of learning new skills. Altogether marvellous
Séverine Delfosse
Séverine Delfosse
15:12 06 Oct 22
I attended a Salsa Percussion Retreat at Finca Ará Oko and had the most amazing time. Vicky and Dave were very welcoming and great to learn from. The tuitions were fun and insightful, Dave catered to different levels within the group easily and my lovely co-students were also helpful. The finca is homey (there’s even a pool if you’re not nesh!), the views are stunning and the food delicious. We got to do some nice walks around the valley, visited the local bar for some tapas and gazed at stars at night. I highly recommend this retreat and look forward to coming back next year. 🙂
Marion Cunningham
Marion Cunningham
08:07 02 Oct 22
Just back from the salsa percussion retreat Thank you so much Vicky and Dave for a fantastic experience at La Finca Ara Oko, such a peaceful location with stunning views across the mountains, great accommodation with chillout areas including a plunge pool and hammocks (think I'm going to have to buy one). And for making us all feel welcome and at home! Delicious, tasty food every day, eaten on the patio with the mountains in the background, seeing the stars wow! And the lessons - thoroughly enjoyed playing with such a friendly supportive group of people, and a huge thank you Dave for being a great teacher and so so patient. Highly recommend this experience, I'll definitely be back!!
Alison Tomlin
Alison Tomlin
13:02 26 Sep 22
Just back from a glorious week playing salsa at Finca Ara Oko. What an amazing place to escape for a music retreat with stunning views over the mountains and a great feeling of space. Add to that expert and patient tuition from Dave, the generous hospitality of both Vicky and Dave, and great company, and you've got yourself a perfect holiday. I really appreciated the effort that was made to not only accommodate a vegan diet, but to provide really delicious and healthy food. Treat yourself to a week here if you can.
Karen Steadman
Karen Steadman
10:28 12 Sep 22
I'm writing my review whilst still here, dangling my feet in the delicious, cooling plunge pool. This place is special in every way, from the peaceful location with its spectacular views, to the beautiful accommodation and lovely spots to chill out and breathe it all in. We've been treated to delicious, wholesome food all week, all shared with a wonderful community of warm, friendly people who now feel like family. But it's not just about kicking back and relaxing. The level of study has been fantastic, immersing ourselves in Afro Cuban percussion for a week with just the right balance of challenge without creating any stress. Various trips out to the surrounding areas have given enough variety for this to be an all round magical experience. I came here with my partner who wasn't participating in the workshops and he was welcomed into the group beautifully and never felt left out.Do we really have to go home?
Julia Baker
Julia Baker
19:26 22 Jun 22
I went on the batá drumming retreat at Finca Ará Oko in in June 2022 and had a lovely time. The place is beautiful and extremely peaceful (apart from when we’re drumming starts of course!) and a brilliant location to disconnect from day to day life and focus on learning. As a retreat location it’s idyllic, in the Alpujarra / Sierra Nevada mountains with a panoramic view of the area and all the way down to the sea. It’s truly magical - especially at night when you get to see the stars and even the Milky Way at times. I loved the accommodation - I had a spacious apartment with my own privacy which I really wanted, but would've probably been very happy any one of the other shared rooms to be honest. The rest of the finca is lovely, including a plunge pool perfect for dipping in in the heat. The food was delicious and healthy which was great too. The other participants were lovely and I felt really comfortable getting to know new people as well as spending time with Vicky and Dave. The surrounding area was great also - including walks in the hills close-by and I really loved going on a couple of ‘excursions’ during the week to see nearby towns.And this is all before talking about the drumming - which was brilliant! We focussed on learning a sequence of toques which included transitions, variations, calls and responses and singing. It was really good to focus on the batá and then these specific toques to really try to master them. I have been learning for a few years with Vicky and Dave/Bombo Productions and I get a great deal out of learning - from a sense of community to a therapeutic feeling through playing and entering the 'flow' mode. Combined with the beautiful location, the company, food etc, this made a perfect retreat to nourish my soul whilst deepening my skills/ knowledge in Afro-Cuban music which I love. It was an amazing week - I’m definitely going to return at some point in the future!There’s a lot I haven’t mentioned as I’m aware people probably won’t want to read an essay…but trust me that you will get so much if you choose to visit the magical Finca Ará Oko. Thank you so much y hasta la próxima! 🙂
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Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how Finca Ará Oko uses and protects any information that you give Bombo Productions when you use this website.

Bombo Productions is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

Finca Ará Oko may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from  Jan 2020

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We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

What is a cookie?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user’s device.

You can find more information about cookies at:

Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improve the user experience. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests. The cookies used on this website have been categorised based on the categories found in the ICC UK Cookie guide.

Category 1: strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.

Category 2: performance cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works.

By using our website, you agree that we can place these type of cookies on your device.

Category 3: functionality cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, a website may be able to provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing in a cookie the region in which you are currently located. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

By using our website, you agree that we can place these type of cookies on your device.

Category 4: targeting cookies or advertising cookies

These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organizations.

A list of all the cookies used on this website by category is set out below.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

    • if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at [bw_mailto admin@bomboproductions.com]

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998.

A small fee will be payable.

If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to:

admin@bomboproductions.com

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.