Sunday, September 11, 2011

  Largest maracas ensemble: Ryerson University set world record (HD Video)

TORONTO, Canada -- For two straight minutes, 567 Ryerson students, faculty and staff shook their maracas to the popular Mexican folk song, La Bamba , setting the world record for the largest maracas ensemble, according to World Record Academy (www.worldrecordacademy.com).

  Photo: 567 Ryerson University students broke the Guinness World Record for the largest maracas ensemble to the popular tune, La Bamba. Photo: Norm Betts/Ryerson University ( enlarge photo )

  The Guinness world record for the largest maraca ensemble is 407 people who shook their maracas for the launch of the XFM radio station in Manchester.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Largest Tamburica Ensemble was achieved by 260 participants in an event organised by Markus Karlich in Pfarrscheune, Trausdorf, Burgenland, Austria.

  Ryerson University President Sheldon was joined by Toronto Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam to welcome the enthusiastic crowd of mostly first-year students who gathered on the campus' quad before the challenge got underway.

 ( enlarge photo )

  The university's orientation crew then got everyone pumped up with a few cheers and demonstrated the musical piece that the participants had to play with their maracas.

  Ari Lyon, a fourth-year Arts and Contemporary Studies student, led the demonstration by singing a few bars from La Bamba and encouraging the crowd to sing along with him and shake their maracas.