Boom Dang featured on National Lottery Good Causes website

NLGC Website 02/11/2010

Total amount awarded: £30,000

With the help of National Lottery funding, The Boom Dang Foundation (a side-ways drumming organisation based in Cumbria) has gone from strength to strength.  The group celebrated its 10th anniversary by appearing at The National Lottery Awards 2010, broadcast live on BBC One.

Created in 2000, The Boom Dang Foundation used Lottery funding to make 50 side-ways drums and recruit participants to their Performance band -Boom Dang.  In 2008, further funding enabled the organisation to grow from one band to four bands, each with their own identity.  They play an original and vibrant mix of drum & bass, bhangra, hip-hop, latin, afro-beat, merengue, odd time signatures, drumline and moroccan trance. Their performances also involve choreography, vocals, tuned percussion and costumes.

Therese Johnston, Artistic Director and founder of The Boom Dang Foundation, explains how Lottery funding helped the development of the organisation. “Boom Dang began life with about 15 teenagers who took up sideways drumming as “something to do”. Now we have four drumming bands from beginner to professional level, involving a total of 45 members. What’s also incredible is that eight original members have all continued performing with Boom Dang. They are accomplished musicians and perform to an exceptionally high standard.”

Lottery funding also enabled the Foundation to set up a Traineeship.  This involved training three performers from The Performance Band to become music practitioners of the future, with the aim that they will eventually lead and teach the new generation of beginners.

As the Foundation has expanded, Boom Dang has taken sideways drumming all across the UK and even Europe. However, Therese describes Boom Dang’s highlight so far as their appearance at The National Lottery Awards 2010. ‘To be involved in a show watched my millions was fantastic and shows how far we have come since 2000’.

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Boom Dang received the money through Youth Music