When I began to live alone again after the sad ending of a close relationship, Friday nights were the hardest night of the week for me. As the end of the work week it was traditionally Party Night or Date Night. Now it was Dog Night. The dog and I would curl up on the couch and watch TV. As much as I loved my dog, I needed something more.
Calgary Meetups is a great resource of activities and chances to meet new people who share similar interests. I was already a member of Just Write and IPAC (Independent Publishers Association of Canada), neither of which met on Friday night.
I don’t know how it popped up but one day Drum Circles are For Everyone was listed as a potential Meetup that I may be interested in. And they met on Friday nights.
Drumming. Hey, I have two African drums from my crazy Bliss Bunny days and I had taken a few lessons from One World Drumming back in the day. I remembered the three tones and I used to love getting lost in the rhythms when everything jelled. I was never very good and I always had to watch my technique carefully so as to not lose the flow. But hey, this group didn’t sound intimidating at all so the next Friday night I found my way to the Inglewood Community Centre with my two drums.
The room was perfect for a Drum Circle. Round. I needn’t have brought my drums as lots of drums were available. Frame drums, Latin drums played with mallets, djembes and large floor drums. Not only that, there were shakers, rattlers and many percussion instruments I had never seen before.
There were lots of people, men and women, young and old. Kids were so welcome and were not a distraction at all.
As people drifted in, spontaneous drumming broke out here and there and then started to connect as one would start to follow another and without any direction or guidance a very cool beat was swirling around the room. And that was before 7.
Then a leader moved to the middle of the room and started to pull us all together. Julian, a dynamic little fireball, did a quick overview of the different types of drums, the basic technique for playing each one and then started us off on a somewhat structured symphony, each of us playing our part. There were 3 Didgeri doo players whose haunting, deep-bellied tones intertwined seamlessly through the drum rhythms.
After playing for about 10 minutes, Judy Atkinson, the president and owner of Circles of Rhythm, introduced herself and told us a little about her history and passion for drumming. For 17 years she has been holding drum circles and bringing this art to many walks of life. Corporate world or nursing home. Festivals and private small groups. Now here was a person who loved her work. Then Julian came back, created a new rhythm and off we went again.
At around 8 we had a break and they prepared chai tea and cookies. People moved around, greeting old friends and new. Everyone was friendly and approachable. Even as a new comer I felt welcome.
Then after the break we did what Judy called a Drum Cradle. Yoga mats were placed on the floor in an outward circular fashion and people laid down with their head toward the center of the circle. Those with frame drums started a heartbeat rhythm and knelt down and beat this over the bodies of the participants. Over their heads, their feet and everything in between. The heartbeat rhythm vibrated the whole room. I stopped drumming for a while, closed my eyes and just sat back and resonated with the beat. I felt more peaceful and relaxed in that moment than I had for months.
After everyone who wanted this experience was done, we all joined in for a closing rhythm.
At the end we created a large circle around the outside edge of the room. Joining hands and linking arms, we did a one word share of how we felt or what we were grateful for. I knew what I felt and not just one word could express it. I had come home and I knew that in time I could grow into this community and become not just a regular but could begin to express who I was in the midst of this.
Friday nights are now the best night of the week. I sing a new song and it is with my hands.