BATERIA 👁️ SAIDEIRA
THE HEARTBEAT OF MIAMI
A dynamic Musical community AND PERCUSSION ORCHESTRA FOR EVERYONE, where Brazilian traditions meet Miami’s global sound.
Bateria Saideira is currently the largest performing samba-enredo community GROUP in the United States and the flagship performance program of Miamibloco.
Made up of world-class professional musicians playing alongside passionate amateurs and community members who have trained through our Bateria Academy and Saideira Sundays programs, the bateria embodies the power of rhythm to create joy, connection, and cultural pride.
Why It Matters
Through samba and Afro-Diasporic percussion, Bateria Saideira honors Brazilian tradition while rooting itself in Miami’s multicultural tapestry. The bateria is a place where joy is both created and shared, where culture is preserved and reimagined, and where Miami itself is reshaped, one booming surdo and ringing tamborim at a time. Our sound tells the collective living history of our ever-changing community.
The Bateria Saideira program membership fees are partially subsidized through donations, underwriting, and performances but we need your help to keep delivering world-class training at accessible rates.
What students receive per season
Access to professional samba instruments and accessories at all classes and events
100+ hrs professional instruction from samba mestres and professional musicians in the Miami community.
Custom uniform
Masterclasses with local + international experts financed and organized by Miamibloco
Performance opportunities in community events, and alongside world-class musicians
All at an affordable membership fee to ensure accessibility for ALL youth and adults in our Miami community.
Your support makes this possible.
Even small donations dedicated to this program help subsidize tuition, instruments, and the cost of and logistics for this program.
Spring 2026 Auditions
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Spring 2026 Auditions 〰️
Auditions Open Now TO Join Bateria Saideira! 🥁
Phase 1 is open NOW (Jan 14 - Feb 15). HIT the button and submit your video(s) ASAP.
Phase 2 invitation is SENT once we receive and evaluate THE Phase 1 submission [keep practicing!]
Deadline: Bateria saideira
enrollment for Spring 2026 closes March 23, 2026.
You must pass both Phase 1 + 2 before being able to join.
(more info is in the submission form)
Got extra questions?
Send an email to Alo@miamibloco.Org with subject: Audition questions
📚 Why We Host Auditions
We’re a welcoming samba community that follows traditional teaching methods, including auditions, to keep musical level, group balance, and healthy challenge in sync with the fun. Auditions help ensure everyone—from curious beginners to pros—understands what’s needed: daily home practice, active Discord communication, and the ability to learn arrangements quickly. This isn’t a job, but learning a new tradition is a demanding hobby, so we set clear standards to give you the tools to put FUN first at rehearsals once you’re ready to join.
Bateria Saideira is more than a percussion ensemble, It is an intergenerational community,
a cultural movement, and the heartbeat of Miamibloco itself.
The largest samba-enredo active bateria (percussion section) in the USA as of 2025.
A high-level performance group blending professionals with trained community members from Miami and Broward Counties.
A musical force that performs in parades, street festivals, main stage concerts, and major Miami events.
An ever-growing “village” of percussionists—ages 13 to 70+—committed to carrying the tradition and spirit of samba respectfully into Miami’s diverse cultural landscape.
Monday Night Rehearsals
Every Monday night, for 6 months out of the year, Bateria Saideira comes together to provide Family- friendly community activations
Each rehearsal/ ensaio is open to the public, turning the garden of Magic 13 Brewery into an authentic Samba School night in Rio de Janeiro pre-carnaval.
A percussion social club and cultural exchange.
A space where spectators become dancers, singers, and co-creators of joy.
Dubbed both “The Heartbeat of Miami” and “The Beat of the Diaspora”, this is where anyone can feel the pulse of our community.
A place for anyone to bring arts, crafts and board games to hang out to the sound of Samba, the vibe of Carnaval and enjoy 2x1 beers.
Whether you play, dance, or just soak in the rhythm, Mondays connect you to something much larger: a Miami strengthened by rhythm, resilience, and collective joy.
JUST LIKE CARNAVAL, THE PARTY IS WAY BETTER IF YOU ARE PART OF THE PROCESS.
Every performance transforms the streets and stages of Miami into a living, breathing bloco
With more than 80 percussionists and growing, Bateria Saideira awakens dancers,crafters, makers, culturally curious, and creatives across our city, pulsing with Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Diasporic rhythms that spark movement and inspire belonging.
Performances & Impact
Bateria Saideira performs across Miami and beyond:
Parades & Music Festivals: Bringing samba’s carnaval energy to local streets like King Mango Strut and global stages like GroundUp music Festival, Carnaval on the Mile, and Montreux Jazz Festival, impacting over 40K per year.
Street Performances: Turning Miami’s neighborhoods into spontaneous celebrations of rhythm from Lincoln Road to Little Haiti.
Collaborations: Pairing Afro-Brazilian roots with experimental jazz, Colombian cumbia, rock, and more; bridging genres and cultures every Memorial Day Weekend.
At the center of it all is our self-produced annual Miamibloco Saideira Social, a Memorial Day weekend giant party at Miami Beach Bandshell that fuses our homegrown samba with world-class guest artists. For the past 5 years, Bateria Saideira has been the living orchestra behind mind-bending collaborations that reimagine and “Miamibloco-fy” global sounds in ways only Miamibloco can.
How to Join
Becoming a ritmista (bateria member) means being part of something bigger, a cultural journey rooted in Samba’s lessons of community, and deep respect; and definitely a party.
Train through the Bateria Academy and Saideira Sundays intro and intermediate courses.
Audition to join the official performance group. (dates announced to our mailing list)
Commit to the 11 seasonal rehearsals, where we sharpen technique, learn repertoire, and strengthen community bonds.
Contribute through membership to sustain performances, rehearsals, instruments, and world-class guest artist collaborations and international masterclasses.
Belonging to Bateria Saideira is not just about playing—it's about living joyfully, giving back, and helping shape the cultural heartbeat of Miami.