“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. ” Alison 2022
18th – 25th September 2023
A course for those wanting to learn and improve their salsa percussion skills. This course will include technique development, ensemble playing and drum variations for bongo, congas, güiro and timbales and cover styles such as salsa, son, charanga, mozambique and guaguanco.
The week-long retreats are split between tuition and practice time, making the most of the amazing location (mountain walks, beaches, snorkelling, sunbathing, star-gazing, horse riding etc. ), relaxing and of course, eating and drinking.
Course tutor David Pattman. David’s experience includes playing with Omara Portuondo of the Buena Vista Social Club, Cachaito Lopez, Cubanismo, Anga Diaz, Roberto Plá, Snowboy, Django Bates, Alex Wilson, Slim Gailard, Carlos ‘Patato’ Valdez and Daniel Ponce as well as Jacob Collier and Paul McCartney.
Prices: 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).
*Earlybird rate, which is when a non-refundable deposit of £150 is paid before the Earlybird deadline or the regular rate which is the deposit paid after this.
*Earlybird deadline £150 by May 18th.
Full payment by June 18th.
We will use the glamping area as overflow accommodation if we have more than 7 people booking on the course. Our tents are luxurious, spacious and comfortable. (Please note; the photo is from the company that has made our bell tents)
Earlybird Glamping: £565 each
Regular Glamping: £635
How to book
Step 1: Secure your place by making a non-refundable deposit of £150. (payment details below)
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!!read more
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.read more
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?read more
Been here twice for a Cuban drumming retreat. Loving the remote location with beautiful walks,... velvety star skies and complete calm. But the real draw is Vicky and Dave's teaching and playing of course. When teaching they manage to accommodate all levels and everyone gets attention which is no easy feat. Dave has countless ways of explaining the the tokes and rhythms and everyone walks away with new skills and renewed fire and passion. Due to the remote location it's possible to practice at all times. At night the drums come out for playing and chilling out. Can't recommend enough!read more
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! 🙂read more
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