Music · Movement · Connection · First Encounters
BabyGroove
A baby's first encounter with live music, shared through sound, movement and connection.
- Who it is for
- Babies and toddlers 0–3 with a parent or caregiver · approx. 10–20 families
- Age
- 0–3
- Format
- Mini-performance and guided participation · approx. 35 minutes · quiet indoor room with a flat floor, no stage · non-verbal friendly and suitable internationally
- Artists
- Solo Diarra, Sarjo Sankareh
BabyGroove is a gentle live music and movement experience for babies aged 0–3 and the adults who care for them.
Created and performed by Solo Diarra and Sarjo Sankareh, BabyGroove invites babies and caregivers into an intimate space filled with the sound of the ngoni, African lullabies, gentle rhythm and shared movement.
There is no expectation that babies remain still or follow a conventional performance. Families are free to hold, move, listen, sit together or allow babies and toddlers to explore the space naturally.
About the programme
At the heart of BabyGroove is the relationship between live music, movement and connection. Solo Diarra plays ngoni and sings African lullabies, creating a warm musical environment around the families. The repeating tones, melodies and rhythms give babies space to listen, respond and experience live sound at close range.
Sarjo Sankareh guides parents and caregivers through simple shared movement. Adults may carry babies in their arms and move gently with the music, while children who are ready to explore can move freely through the space. The programme follows the children's natural curiosity rather than asking them to behave like a conventional audience.
Babies and toddlers also encounter rhythm through African shakers and other gentle sound-making experiences. They hear rhythm through ngoni and voice, feel it through the movement of the adult holding them, see other bodies moving, and begin to discover how their own actions can create sound.
BabyGroove is not about teaching babies choreography or musical technique. It creates an early opportunity to experience rhythm through sound, movement and human connection: a first meeting with live performing arts that babies and caregivers share together.
Artistic team
- Solo Diarra, music: ngoni, voice, African lullabies and gentle rhythmic patterns
- Sarjo Sankareh, movement: guides caregivers and babies through gentle shared movement, rhythm and physical interaction
Presentation and international interest
BabyGroove has been presented at MDF, the International Children's Festival in Šibenik, Croatia. The programme was also featured in a report on Croatian national television news.
Following its presentation in Croatia, BabyGroove attracted international interest, including contact from a specialist festival for babies in Salzburg regarding potential future collaboration.
Touring and space
BabyGroove is designed for an intimate setting and needs very little technical infrastructure. A quiet indoor room with a flat floor is ideal; no stage is required. Mats or cushions can be used for families, and the music can be acoustic or very lightly amplified. The format is largely non-verbal, so it can travel internationally without extensive translation.
