IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, is a theatrical percussion company for unconventional percussion instruments that offers several programs featuring Reynaliz Herrera's original music for bicycles and other unconventional instruments. One of the programs, "Ideas, Not Theories- Full Staged Show" features original music which explores the use of unconventional instruments such as: bicycles, tap and body percussion, water, brushes, as well as traditional percussion instruments such as marimbas and drums, where the musical works are linked together through a story line, physical theater and comedy, and original characters making the complete performance a unique, quirky and creative artistic experience.

 

* "Ideas, Not Theories"  offers several programs, some of the different programs are:  

"Ideas, Not Theories- Full Staged Show"

"Ideas, Not Theories- Educational & Interactive Show"

"Ideas, Not Theories- Bicycle Rock Band"

"Ideas, Not Theories- Bicycle Orchestra"

"Ideas, Not Theories- Bicycle Beats"

"BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra"

 

(See SHOWS page for more information).

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​SYNOPSIS

(Of our programs "Ideas, Not Theories- The Full Staged Show" and "Ideas, Not Theories-  The Educational & Interactive Show"): Three magical creatures secretly inhabit a warehouse.  These creatures are awakened by a kid who stumbles into the room and begins to discover its sounds.  Once awakened, the magical creatures join the child as they go on an adventure of sound and music that can be created inside the room by using the objects in it.  By doing this, they discover the magical potential that the warehouse has. During their adventure other surprises come along…

 

BIO

 

IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, had its premier in Monterrey Mexico, inside the Festival de Musica Nueva 2012 and has been performing regularly since then in the U.S (Boston and Massachusetts, NYC, Maine, Philadelphia, New Haven CT, New Mexico ), Mexico, Barbados and Canada. Highlight performances include:  Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2022, Bridgetown International Arts Festival 2023, National Cultural Center of Barbados 2023, Peabody Essex Museum 2022, Harvard Museums of Science and Culture 2021, Currents New Media Festival  2021 (New Mexico), Institute of Contemporary Art Boston 2021, Cambridge Public Library 2020, The International Festival of Arts & Ideas 2019 (New Haven, CT), The Flea Theater in Tribeca NY 2018, The National Arts Center of Canada 2018,  M.I.T 2018 / 2019, featured with 5 performances inside The New York International Fringe Festival 2015, The New York University Day of Percussion (NYU/KoSA/HLAG) 2016,  at The Boston Children's Museum for 3 years in a row (2016/ 2017/2018) at The Please Touch Museum 2019 (Philadelphia, PA), The Brooklyn Children's Museum 2017, The National Arts Center of Canada,  The Cambridge Arts River Festival 2019, ILLUMINUS Festival 2017, and The World Maker Faire NY 2017 (At NY Hall of Science) and Boston Maker Faire (2016/2017/2018). Other performances include: at  Friends of Congress Square Park 2019 (Portland, ME), Mayo Street Arts (Portland, Maine), Cambridge Summer in The City 2019, FOG X FLO (2018 Emerald Necklace rendition of the Fog sculptures by Fujiko Nakaya),Outside The Box Festival 2016 Play On! Music Festival 2017, The Boston Harbor Re [Creation Arts Program 2017, Community Music Center of Boston,  ArtBeat Festival 2017, and The Lower East Side Girls Club in NYC , among others. "Ideas, Not Theories" was also the recipient of an Emergency Grant from The Foundation of Contemporary Arts  and from The Boston Foundation and The Somerville Arts Council. In 2021 Reynaliz Herrera & Ideas, Not Theories premiered Reynaliz's composition "BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra" which was funded by  The Boston Foundation (Live Arts Boston grant) and The Somerville Arts Council (LCC grant) and is now the newest program offered by Ideas, Not Theories. On June 30, 2023 Reynaliz Herrera & Ideas, Not Theories will release their debut album entitled "BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra (By Reynaliz Herrera)". Ideas, Not Theories has been featured in news stories, articles, interviews and reviews in: The Boston Globe, Nation News Barbados, Percussive Notes, NBC10 BOSTON, The Patriot Ledger, DRUM! Magazine, NY1 Time Warner Cable, TimeOut NYC, Modern Drummer (mention), Broadway World (mention), Curtain Up, Theater is Easy NYC, among others.

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MEMBERS

Founder & Director/Composer/Script/:  Reynaliz Herrera

 

Cast/Performers:

 

In USA-

Lead performer: Reynaliz Herrera

Rotating Performers: Nicholas Samuel, Jacob Moux, Robert McCarthy, Yuriana Sobrino, Lydia Lucas, Chandler Beaugrand, Gerson de la Rosa, Michael Alber, Anthony Tran.

 

In Mexico-

Lead Performer: Reynaliz Herrera

Rotating Performers: Lissy Ortega, Daniel Brizuela, Edgar Yanez.

 

* In every performance the performers may be subject to change.

 

 

REYNALIZ HERRERA - BIO

 

Founder & Director/Composer/Script

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REYNALIZ HERRERA is a professional musician, percussionist, composer, producer and educator based in Boston but originally from Mexico. She was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1984, where she studied and began pursuing music at the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza, with maestro Noel Savon.

 

Reynaliz has performed in different countries like Mexico, US, Canada, Cuba, Barbados, Spain, Germany and Italy, and has performed and collaborated with renowned ensembles such as: Double Edge Theater, The National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, The Boston Conservatory Orchestra, Mexican Dance Group: Danza Contemporanea en Concierto, The Boston Opera Collaborative , Grooversity, Flamenco Boston, Boston Percussion Group and band Muy Cansado. She has engaged in solo recitals and performances which include repertoire of her own works in countries such as U.S.A, Mexico, Cuba, Canada, Spain, Barbados, Italy and Germany, and has collaborated with prestigious artists such as Iva Bittova, Bob Becker, Ian Bernard, Evelyn Glennie, Pinchas Zukerman, Gunter Schuller, Marcus Santos, Maria Finkelmeier and Giselle Ty. She has also been marimba and percussion soloist several times with The National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada (One of them Broadcasted by CBC Radio Canada national wide).

 

Currently, Reynaliz acts as director, composer and lead performer of her theatrical percussion company “Ideas, Not Theories” where she combines music for unconventional instruments like bicycles, and physical theater through many different programs, and which she has recently presented in the U.S, Canada, Barbados and Mexico in venues and festivals such as The Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2022, Bridgetown International Arts Festival 2023, Peabody Essex Museum 2022, Institute of COntemporary Arts Boston 2021, Harvard Museums of Science and Culture 2021, Current New Media Festival 2021, International Festival of Arts and Ideas 2019, The New York International Fringe Festival, NYU/KoSA/HLAG Day of Percussion NY, National Arts Center of Canada, The Flea Theater, ILLUMINUS, Outside The Box Festival, FOG x FLO, ArtBeat, World Maker Faire NY and Boston Maker Faire, Boston Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Please Touch Museum (see Bio above).

In 2021 Reynaliz Herrera & Ideas, Not Theories premiered Reynaliz's composition "BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra" which was funded by  The Boston Foundation (Live Arts Boston grant) and The Somerville Arts Council (LCC grant) and is now the newest program offered by Ideas, Not Theories. On June 30, 2023 Reynaliz Herrera & Ideas, Not Theories will release their debut album entitled "BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra (By Reynaliz Herrera)".

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Other appearances in Reynaliz's her career have included: Revolutions International Theater Festival (NM), Paramount Theater, South By Southwest (Austin) The Peabody Essex Museum, The Boston Science Museum, The Wang Theater, The Palau Hall (Spain), theaters and festivals in Mexico, and Italy, and Teatro Amadeo Roldan (Cuba).

Reynaliz holds a Bachelor of Music from The University of Ottawa where she studied with Prof. Ian Bernard, former solo timpanist of The National Arts Center Orchestra and Reynaliz's mentor (Graduating Summa Cum Laude) and graduated from The Boston Conservatory with a Master of Music in Percussion Performance where she studied with renowned percussionists like Nancy Zeltsman, Sam Solomon, John Grimes and Keith Aleo.

 

Reynaliz has also received international awards such as The National Youth Award 2004 (Mexico), The State Youth Award 2009 (Mexico), The Festival PERCUBA 2002- International Percussion Competition in Cuba (1st place), The National Arts Center of Canada´s Bursary Competition 2005, National Arts Center of Canada “My First NAC Award 2014” and the MTV Latin America “agent of change award 2009”.

She is percussion and music instructor at ZUMIX, and has taught at different programs, like The Hamilton- Garret Music and Arts Academy and The Boston School of Music Arts, and formerly at The Urbano Project, and the El Sistema Somerville, and she has been a panelist for the Somerville Arts Council and a guest panelist for the Tough Broads Film Festival at The Lower East Side Girls Club of NY.