Sahara Dance

Our Faculty

Brad Sidwell

Sidqi (Brad Sidwell) has more than 25 years experience playing darabuka with experience in Balkan, & Middle Eastern drumming technique, and special interest in Turkish and Macedonian Romany rhythms.

Brad Sidwell

Sidqi started out as a Balkan folk dancer at the University of Chicago and was soon internalizing Balkan rhythms. His first darabuka lesson was with an Iraqi percussionist, Abdul Alwan, in the late 70’s. Sidqi’s main influences have been Zev Feldman, Leszlo Kubinyi, Seido Salifoski, Souhael Kaspar, and most recently Hearn Gadbois in Prague, and Senol, a Romany drummer in Turkey.

Along with extensive audio and video field recording across the United States and in Europe, Sidqi has played with Balkan, Turkish and Greek musical groups and with well-known musicians such as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Seido Salifoski, Yuri Yunikov and Avram Pengas.

In 1996, Sidqi began playing darabuka for belly dance and has taught classes and workshops in darabuka technique and rhythm at Studio Artemis, Rakkasah East, Baltimore Bellypalooza, and M.E.D. Folktours Music and Dance camps.