Originally commissioned by Dame Evelyn Glennie for drum kit and piano, Drum Dances is now available for percussion ensembles with this new arrangement by Dr. Omar Carmenates, Assistant Prof. of Percussion, Furman University, USA. It features one drum kit soloist with five mallet players on two vibraphones, two marimbas, one xylophone, one glockenspiel, three gongs and crotales.

Each of the four dances is stimulated by a certain rhythmic interaction possible between the performers. The work is heavily influenced by jazz and rock music, particularly that of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Psathas was greatly inspired by the drumming of Dave Weckl, the very different piano styles of Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, and the enormous energy in the music of guitarists like Steve Vai.