Steel Percussion for Modern Dance Classes

Ray McNamara received his M.F.A. in World Music and Percussion from California Institute of the Arts.  He has  played on film scores, records, television, commercials, and various stages.  As a member of the Daniel Lentz Group, Ray toured Europe in the United States.  He has collaborated with many L.A. based choreographers including: Fern Ackerman, Loretta Livingston, Stephanie Gilliland, Susan Rose and Fred Strickler.  As a soloist, Ray blends his unique styule of soca and jazz to bring the Steel Pan to a new level.  Ray has toured the US, Japan and the Caribbean with his group, the Calypso Pirates.  His lastest project, Damaru, combines traditional rhythms and instruments with modern day technology, developing a unique synthesis in sound.  As an educator, Ray has taught at Cal Arts, Northern Illinois University, and U.C.L.A..  Ray is currently the Music Director for the Department of Dance at U.C. Riverside and the director of the Steel Band at Fullerton College.  

Some of Ray’s Film & Television credits include:
“A Bug’s Life” – Walt Disney and Pixar Studios
“Indian Runner” – Universal Pictures
“Who’s the Boss” – ABC Television
“Going to Extremes” – Lorimar Entertainment
“The Roseanne Show” – ABC Television