NOW Performance: Shodekeh Sho'dekeh "The Corcoran College of Art and Design (500 17th St. NW) will be hosting Shodekeh at 7 p.m. in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Krysia Bock. He'll also be holding workshops with students all weekend to conceptualize his performance. The performance is part of the weekly Corcoran Uncorked, which is free for members and students." - The Washington Examiner. Photograph by Philip Edward Laubner. 

Department of Dance Shodekeh's Video at the 2011 BMA exhibit "The Towson University Department of Dance's Mission advocates Dancing for a Lifetime by challenging students to examine and refine their approaches to the arts of dancing, choreography, and dance education. Towson offers professional dance training within the context of a comprehensive liberal arts education. Majors experience rigorous preparation to dance and create dance at all ages and stages of life—in professional companies, as educators and as arts advocates." - The Towson University Department of Dance.

2010 ADF School Catalog by American Dance Festival "Heralded as “One of the nation’s most important institutions” by the New York Times and as “The world’s greatest dance festival” by the New York Post, the American Dance Festival’s sustained record of creative achievement is indivisible from the history of modern dance. Since 1934, ADF has remained committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields." - The American Dance Festival.

American Dance Festival: Home Friday Guest Artist Classes with Quilan Arnold "ADF is fortunate to have some of the finest dance musicians in the country on its roster. The American Dance Festival has been a magnet drawing together diverse artists, styles, theories, and dance training methods; from this creative mix the ADF has emerged as the sponsor of performances by some of the greatest choreographers and dance companies of our time. Jack Anderson traces the development of ADF from its beginnings in New England to its seasons at Duke University. He displays the ADF for the multidimensional creature it is—a center for performances, a school for the best young dancers in the country, and a provider of community and professional services." - The American Dance Festival @ Duke University. 

Corps de Ballet Aerial Improv with Shodekeh Winner of the 2024 Women Empowerment Award at the Rome Film Festival & the 2023 International Music Video Underground Award.

"The wispy quality of professional ballerinas sets a precedent for aspiring dancers that is often unachievable through healthy practices. As a result, young dancers are typically tempted to change their bodies by overexercising or under-eating. Director Katherine Hutchinson visually expresses how ballet shaped her body image using aerial dance and an original score. The film demonstrates the restriction of body shame and the freedom of relinquishing that shame." - The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. 

About | AirKatherine Dear Terry.... Sincerely, Nancy & Jayne Official selection at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival, the San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival, the Toronto Indie Filmmaker's Festival & the Aerial Arts Film Festival, 2024.

Senga Nengudi "In this most recent academic year I was awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professorship here at Colorado College for 2024 - 2025, & one of my main projects in this fellowship as the very first "Breath Artist-in-Residence" was to reimagine Senga Nengudi's multimedia + fabric art piece "Warp Trance" directly with the legendary "process artist" herself." - Dominic Shodekeh Talifero. 

"Senga Nengudi has been working in sculpture and performance for over 50 years, and finally the global art world is catching up. Her signature pieces in nylon mesh and sand are suggestive yet insist on an expansiveness of signification.  Her early performances in Los Angeles in the 1970s were integral to the development of the art scene there, and engaged African and Asian performative modalities." - The American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Senga Nengudi: Warp Trance - Fine Arts Center "The video art of this work is now available for viewing on You Tube, & I'm so very inspired by Senga's holistic brilliance & neverending curatorial process, as she has found a way to subtly edit, stitch, collage & essentially "fabricize" my creative breath techniques + embodied movements & the collaborative choreography of CC dance major Ella Boyd Brocker into the very artwork itself." - Dominic Shodekeh Talifero.

Nederlands Dans Theater "Hello Mr. Talifero, I hope this message finds you well. My name is Kele Roberson, I am dancer currently with Netherlands Dans Theater, a contemporary dance company located in Den Haag, Netherlands. I recently stumbled upon “25x25” and upon listening felt incredibly compelled by your two incredible tracks in the album, Vodalities I & II, that draw on the breath and voice /vocal percussion...I have been searching for music for months now and these two tracks felt like an absolute gift to stumble upon - I feel they somehow link exactly to what I feel and imagine for the piece I’d like to make." - Kele Roberson of the Nederlands Dans Theater.

"Thank you so much for your response and your permission…!! I so greatly appreciate it. And how fitting that you used to make music for dance - you can absolutely feel it when you listen!! I will make sure to send through things / info as it comes along. I would also love to see/ hear any more material related to the music you might have!" - Kele Roberson of the Nederlands Dans Theater.

Sho'dekeh & Alash Blackwater Vision Quest "Since Alash and beatboxer Shodekeh first met in 2011, they have forged an ongoing friendship and an ever evolving musical collaboration. Shodekeh, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is a vocal percussionist and breath artist who serves as musical accompanist and composer in residence for Towson University’s Department of Dance, as well as dance accompanist at Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute. Shodekeh often tours with Alash in the States, and he has become a regular visitor to Tuva. The 2016 documentary film "Shu-de!" directed by Michael Faulkner, documents Shodekeh’s musical journey to Tuva and features Alash and other musicians. Alash and Shodekeh continue to build a unique musical and cultural bridge between Baltimore, Maryland, and Kyzyl, Tuva. Bady-Dorzhu Ondar of Alash joined Shodekeh and friends to create the music for "Traveler" a short video animated by students at the Maryland Institute College of Art Animation Department. Shodekeh's project EMBODY, dedicated to music created by no instruments other than the human voice, has teamed up with Alash to combine Tuvan music with American hip hop. Most recently, a number of Baltimore hip hop musicians joined Bady-Dorzhu and Shodekeh in recording the album Embodiments. - Alash Ensemble. 

Alash and Shodekeh "Shodekeh has visited Tuva twice. At the most recent visit, they celebrated Alash’s 20th anniversary. The Ministry of Culture for the Republic of Tuva honored Shodekeh with a certificate of thanks and acknowledgement, highlighting the contributions he has made to advocate for the presence of music on the global stage, he said. “When I got that, let me tell you, I was so touched. It has been a really great challenge and adventure and experience — working with Alash,” he said. “I continue to learn so much not just about their music, but about their language and their culture and their land in Southern Siberia.” - Chicago Tribune.

U.S. Embassy in Lithuania: Homepage SHODEKEH IN LITHUANIA 2009 Shodekeh was been awarded an "American Month of Culture" grant for musical ambassadorship by the U.S. Embassy of Lithuania in 2009. "The Educational and Cultural Sections work with Lithuanian universities, teacher training institutions, and other academic, cultural, governmental and nongovernmental organizations to support English Language Teaching programs development of civic education curricula. In keeping with our objectives to increase understanding about U.S. society and policies, and to broaden dialogue between Americans and U.S. institutions and their Lithuanian counterparts, the U.S. Embassy invites American speakers and specialists, distributes publications in both English and Lithuanian and sponsors programs related to such issues as U.S. foreign policy, U.S.-Lithuanian relations, support for the development of democratic institutions and a democratic society, rule of law, and American culture, history and society." - The U.S. Embassy of Lithuania. 

Celebrity traveler: Shodekeh's musical treks "The U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, together with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has sent more than 1300 Lithuanian academic and professional exchange participants to the U.S., and about 300 Americans have come to Lithuania to study, teach and conduct research. People-to-people exchanges enhance mutual understanding between the U.S. and Lithuania." - The U.S. Embassy of Lithuania. 

Silkroad Ensemble BEAT BOXERS "There are many ways of speaking - and we must speak - with every note, every sound, every beat we have within us, as we come beautifully and musically together despite distance, different languages, approaches, trainings and expectations - what Silkroad does is radical and shall remain radical; and art, in its purest sense, rejects the inhumanity of violence and demands that we see each other as we see ourselves. That way, and that way only, is the path to transformative change - and we stand for nothing less.” - Rhiannon Giddens, Artistic Director of the Silkroad Ensemble.

"Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998 as a reminder that even as rapid globalization resulted in division, it brought extraordinary possibilities for working together. Seeking to understand this dynamic, he recognized the historical Silk Road as a model for cultural collaboration – for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In a groundbreaking experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a new artistic idiom: a musical language founded in difference, a metaphor for the benefits of a more connected world." - The Silkroad Ensemble. 

Mark Suter - Silkroad Universal Wind: Haegeum Meets Hip Hop 해금 비트박스 즉흥 "Percussionist and composer Mark Suter appears as a chamber musician and collaborative artist in both classical and world music arenas. He is associate principal percussionist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and heads the percussion department at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts, Singapore. His passion for hand percussion has led him to study and perform in Costa Rica, Brazil, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Suter continues his journey under the tutelage of South Indian Master Sri D Rajagopal." - Silkroad Ensemble. 

Shodekeh Talifero - OneBeat "Launched in 2012, OneBeat began as an annual U.S-based residency and tour that brings early-career musicians together from around the globe to collaboratively write, produce and perform original music, and develop strategies for arts-based civic and social engagement. Over the past incredible 12+ years, this program has grown from a yearly U.S.-based residency and tour program (OneBeat U.S.) to a constellation of year-round programming, including residencies & tours in countries around the world (OneBeat Abroad), a virtual residency (OneBeat Virtual), a development and training institute (OneBeat Institute), annual microgrant (OneBeat Accelerator) and more. Organized as a public private partnership with the U.S. State Department, OneBeat has inaugurated over 650 Fellows from 78 countries/territories hailing from Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Europe, produced 200+ events in 69 cities around the world for 600,000+ audience members." - One Beat. 

TEDxPittsburgh 2017 Awakening Cybertrad "To some, music is the ultimate way of spreading ideas.The Our Rhythm Documentary is weaving together stories of 7 musicians in 7 locations around the world to show this concept in action." - Our Rhythm / TEDxPittsburgh.

"What is TEDxPittsburgh? We are an all volunteer-led platform for sharing ideas that affect our city, region, and world. Using the TED format, TEDxPittsburgh seeks to dig deeper on issues that matter locally and that when, shared, can be spread across the world to drive progress. Innovators in technology, entertainment, and design come together at our conferences to share ideas worth spreading." - TEDxPittsburgh.

"The most conspicuous feature on the album is the beat-boxing and vocal percussion of Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero, which gives an urban funk and hip-hop gloss to the music, but the supporting instrumentation is notable: Simon Lepage’s electric bass, Aimee Curl’s upright bass, and Jaige Trudel’s cello provide the accompaniment for Olwell’s robust flute and cornemuse (French bagpipes); Olwell also plays bodhran, and Boston-area uilleann piper Joey Abarta appears on several tracks. In this framework – no guitar, bouzouki, or keyboard in the mix – although the melody still dominates, you’re more aware of the rhythm behind it, not only because of Talifero’s distinctive vocalisms but also the riffs, lines and fills from Lepage, Curl, and Trudel. And even though the beat is still there, of course, it’s enhanced, augmented, and redefined." - The Boston Irish Reporter.

"CyberTrad is a musical experiment that combines melodic sensibilities from traditional Irish and Breton music, and blends them with rhythmic elements of contemporary Quebecois, funk, and Hip Hop. The project features Matthew Olwell on flute, vocals, and percussion, Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero on human Beatbox, Simon Lapage on bass, and Aimee Curl on vocals. Original compositions and arrangements by Matthew Olwell make CyberTrad both familiar and intriguing." - Mathew Olwell. 

BALTIMORE VOICES BSO Take-Outs @ The Crown "Baltimore beatboxer Shodekeh rehearses Fujiko's Fairy Tale with Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. This unique collaboration will be featured in the BSO's Music of Frank Zappa and Phillip Glass concert at the Meyerhoff on Friday, July 23, 2010." - The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Photograph by What Weekly.

Q&A with Shodekeh Jennah Vainio (arr. Viitasaari): Beatbox Concerto for wind ...Variations for Four Drums "Baltimore beatboxer Shodekeh rehearses Fujiko's Fairy Tale with Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. This unique collaboration will be featured in the BSO's Music of Frank Zappa and Phillip Glass concert at the Meyerhoff on Friday, July 23, 2010." - The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Meredith Monk Dolmen Music, Part I Shodekeh's Embody & Continuum Remix "It’s darn near impossible to reinterpret material from a musical icon without diluting the original’s vitality or tampering with some key component of the artist’s vision. But local beatboxer Shodekeh effectively re-imagined Meredith Monk’s classic “Dolmen Music” as a hip-hop instrumental by enhancing it with a battery of rhythmic flourishes. Monk’s original displayed plenty of depth but not much drive, while the Shodekeh track, featured on Monk Mix, favored solid beats over the drift of abstraction. It exuded mystery, even as it flexed newfound might, and proved to be the highlight of a collection that also featured Bjork and DJ Spooky." - Baltimore Magazine. Image courtesy of ECM Records.

Baltimore Magazine "Best of Baltimore" Award: Best Homage for Shodekeh's Meredith Monk Remix, 2012. Featuring Dr. Erik Spangler, Max Bent, Kate Porter & Bonnie Lander.

"Composer, vocalist, filmmaker and MacArthur Fellow Meredith Monk has created a unique body of work that uses the voice as an instrument. Now, her songs have been covered and remixed by a wide array of musicians, from Bjork to Caetano Veloso to DJ Spooky. Monk joins us to share her reaction to the surprising results on “Monk Mix.” - WNYC Studios.

Classical Revolution: Taking Classical Music to the Streets A Midsummer Night's Dream - Michael Ching "Classical Revolution is built around the idea that performing live classical music can change communities. Founded in 2007 in San Francisco, the idea has spread all around the world. Rafaela Dreisin of the Baltimore chapter of Classical Revolution will lead a combined group of musicians from both DC and Baltimore in a regional collaboration crafted specifically for TEDxMidAtlantic 2012. Both groups perform regularly in and around Baltimore and Washington with performances ranging from impromptu public venues to regularly scheduled evening events." - TEDxMidAtlantic. Photo by TED Talks.

Classical *Revolution Classical Revolution Baltimore - The Luckiest (Ben Folds), featuring Shodekeh "Classical Revolution is a chamber music organization known for holding performances of classical music in unusual spaces. Charith Premawardhana founded the organization in 2006 at San Francisco’s Revolution Café. As of 2013, the organization had 38 chapters in different cities in North America and Europe including London, Berlin, and Paris. The group focuses on accessibility to the audience and creating opportunities for local musicians to perform. Its tagline is "chamber music for the people." - Classical Revolution. 

View Program Notes Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice was co-commissioned by the Caramoor Festival, Sō Percussion’s New Work Development Program, Bard Conservatory Percussion, Baylor University Percussion, the University of Michigan Percussion, and Vanderbilt University Percussion.

"Shodekeh Talifero’s Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice was composed orally and transmitted to Sō Percussion through recordings. He originally sent us the three movements as completed performances and also as individual stems for transcribing each part. We then translated his vocal percussion sounds into physical percussion. The skill, creativity, and range of colors in Shodekeh’s practice is astonishing. The only way to fully grasp this is to hear him perform, which is why it is essential to listen to the accompanying mp3s before building your own interpretation of the piece." - Dr. Adam Sliwinski of Sō Percussion.

Collaborations Virginia Tech: KandinskyBeatDown 2009 "Vodalities, Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice" composed by Dominic Shodekeh Talifero: Asia premiere @ the University of the Arts Singapore in the National Design Centre of Singapore in 2026.

Performances of Works by American Composers Group 5 Works "I would love to see how the composer notated this for beat boxer!" - Davey Doodle.

"There are 6 main beats which were created by Shodekeh (1 for each of the chess pieces) and his part in the score is more like a map, showing when to play each of the beats and for how long. The soloist used a chess board on a music stand for his score in some of the performances!" - Ruby Fulton.

"Do it, and see it, and be nobody else..." - Q Tip, "Do It, See It, Be It." 

Shodekeh's first music ed engagement took place at the St. Paul's School in Baltimore, MD in 2006.

"A priceless moment from the youth portion of the evening during the 2018 JHU "World Voice Day" concert and celebration last month. Serving my city as a "musical parent" is a beautiful & irreplaceable gift..." - Dominic Shodekeh Talifero.

Photo courtesy of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center/Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Film and Media Studies "This short documentary explores the art of Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero — a pioneering beatboxer, vocal percussionist, and breath artist who transforms breath into a powerful medium for expression and healing. Shodekeh investigates the deep connection between vocal percussion and breath arts, showing how they can raise awareness around mental health and highlight hip-hop’s role as a cultural intervention through a creative lens. Through his innovative performances and personal reflections, the film uncovers the therapeutic potential of sound and breath, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of art, mindfulness, and emotional resilience. Official Festival Selections (2025): The Grand Mesa Short Film Festival, the Prescott Film Festival, the Urbanite Arts and Film Festival." - Colorado College.

"Our education offerings provide engaging musical experiences led by our talented HSO musicians. Our programs, including school coaching, masterclasses, and in school performances. work within the classrooms to link music to learning.  This takes place in the orchestra room, band room and classrooms as students gain a deeper connection to how music is integrated into their curriculum." - The Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

"Family Boom Bap for participation by kids and grownups alike, hosted by DJ dubble8 and friends. Featuring special guests J Pope, Chuck the Madd Ox, Dan Samuels and 11-year-old beatmaker, Enterprize." 

free workshops with Shodekeh, a Baltimore beatboxer | Hub MIT Media Lab "Last Friday, we were at MIT for a day at the Kinderuni. We experienced some amazing experiments, learned about space, and had a professional beat boxer as our tour guide. Thanks to our amazing partners at Wunderbar Together, Goethe-Institut Washington, MIT List Visual Arts Center, MIT Museum, and MIT Comparative Media Studies / Writing, as well as, our professors Christoph Biemann, Dr. Joachim Hecker, Dr. Ana Laura Edelhoff, Dr. Reinhold Ewald, Shodekeh, Camille J. Moore (Emcee), as well as High Stakes, and last but not least all the volunteers who helped make this wonderful KinderUniUsa a success!" - Goethe Institut. 

VIDEO: “Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice” by Shodekeh Talifero // U-M Percussion Ensemble" Since 2011, members of Sō Percussion have conducted an intensive and elite undergraduate double-degree program in percussion performance at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.  Currently, Eric Cha-Beach and Jason Treuting are directors of the program.  Our course of study places emphasis on chamber music as a tool for creating thoughtful, well-rounded musicians. Students will have opportunities to explore music outside of the western tradition, most notably Gamelan, and to work closely with the John Cage Trust." - Bard Conservatory. 

International Khöömei Academy "In addition to passing on their musical traditions to their own children, some of whom are already performing in their own ensembles, the members of Alash have brought the music and culture of Tuva to thousands of students and teachers at educational institutions ranging from pre-schools to hightech research facilities. In this way, by dedicating their lives to performing, preserving, developing, and growing the Tuvan tradition, they are worthy bearers of the culture of their fathers and sons." - Smithsonian Folkways.

Animation (Major) Animated Music SEAF2020 "Animation is as old as storytelling—and more relevant than ever. It is a tool to educate, engage, and entertain,  and it has an exceptional ability to convey messages and ideas, playing a crucial role in a variety of industries. As an Animation major at MICA, you will learn the art of creative thinking and flexibility while you master core skills the medium. These abilities will allow you to respond to today's ever-changing landscape, where technology continues to transform animation's potential." - The Maryland Institute College of Art Animation Program. 

"The historic town of Bangor, Maine, hosted the National Folk Festival from 2002-2004. Long the economic and cultural hub of eastern Maine, it enjoyed a century of dominance in the world lumber industry, but by the late 19th century, its once-bustling mills had closed and its riverfront had fallen out of use. Recognizing that the National could be the catalyst to propel its revitalization plans into a reality, Bangor applied to host the festival. A partnership with the NCTA was forged that would transform the cultural, economic, and physical landscape of the city." - The National Council for the Traditional Arts.