Holly Prest is one of the UK Carnival scene’s bright shiny lights. Following more than 25 years of participation and management of widespread performance and training initiatives, she has helped nurture and maintain lesser-known global music and dance traditions in a UK context. As the lead project manager of the Future Leaders youth arts leadership programme, Holly is passionate about facilitating the discovery of young and emerging artists honing their artistic talents and realising their potential as active, inspired young individuals.
Her performance group ‘Juba do Leão’ offers one of the countries most unique fusion representations of Afro-Brazilian music from the Pernambuco region of Brazil, with a young cohort of 8-18 year old musicians and dancers carving their own path alongside in the ‘Jubacana’ project. She is a huge enthusiast of Pernambucan culture from the Northeast of Brazil, sharing her discoveries far and wide through her ongoing workshop facilitation.
Holly also offers tuition in drum kit and Afro-Brazilian percussion, and has supported the development of several community bands around the UK.
She has performed and studied internationally with numerous outfits including Global Grooves, Juba do Leão, Skutch Manos, and Les Commandos Percu in The Gambia, Qatar, Cuba, Germany, Brazil, France, Trinidad & Tobago, and the UK.