Hey everybody -
So here's the DRUMLADY update. (Drumroll please.......)
-while the drum is rolling...if you would like to read this later it's all available on my blog, www.drumlady.blogspot.com. Thank you.-
1. HAND DRUMMING FOR WOMEN CLASSES
The Circle Yoga drum class LIVES ON. If you haven't taken classes from me yet, and have been wondering what all the fuss is about, come check it out!!!
Hand Drumming for Women
In this class students will explore West African drums
and rhythms with djembe artist Kristen Arant, learning
basic notes of the djembe, parts to traditional West
African polyrhythms and will build confidence,
strength, and joy by playing improvisationally through
listening and bonding with one another. Drums provided
or bring your own.
classes at CIRCLE YOGA
3838 Northampton Street NW
Washington 20015
202-686-1104
SUNDAYS, 12-1:15 p.m., June 25- Aug. 19 2007
SIGN UP or DROP-IN; more info at www.circleyoga.com
2. SUMMER CAMPS/DRUM PARTIES
Drumlady is still available to teach drumming workshops at summer camps for kids (well, and adults...) and for parties - indoor, outdoor, BBQ, Birthday, wedding, whathaveyou -- order a drum workshop or drum circle tailored to your guests' desires. OR request the World Beat Ensemble - the high-energy West African drum-song-dance ensemble i play with that features Mark Francis Nickens, Henry Moses, and (when I can get 'em), Katy Gaughan on djembe and dancer Binahkaye Joy - the Mother of Movement. Whatever your tastes are, please remember to order them SOON! Schedule is filling up with love very quickly. (:
3. I'm playing in a new group called OMEGABAND
(see www.omegaband.net) - the band is SOLID with rock, funk, ska and soul songs, ALL ORIGINALS. I'm playing copious amounts of percussion and providing harmony vocals at some interesting venues. here's the schedule, hope you can make some shows!
OMEGABAND UPCOMING PERFORMANCES...
Thursday, June 21th 9pm - Chief Ike's Mambo Room, 1725 Columbia Rd, NW (Adam's Morgan)
Thursday, June 28th 9PM - The Red and The Black, 1212 H St NE (Atlas Corridor)
Friday, July 13th, 9PM - Asylum, 2471 18th St NW (Adam's Morgan)
This is an event entitled Fringe Benefits - it's a benefit show for Miriam's Kitchen. $7 cover. We'll be recording live too, so come out and holla for a good cause!
Thursday, July 26th, 7:15PM - Fort Reno, 3950 Chesapeake St NW, http://www.fortreno.com/about.html
4. PRIVATE LESSONS
I have 3-4 private students at any given time and LOVE working with my students one on one. Be prepared to learn technique, learn new and sometimes complex rhythms, and work diligently to improve your skills on the djembe. Beginners-Intermediate level players all welcome. Advanced players - give me a call. Let's barter a lesson for a lesson and learn each other's moves.
5. WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT DRUMLADY
Well, here's the quote of the year for me, thanks so much to its author, who holds wild drum parties at her home and invites friends:
Dear Kristen,
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
I hope you understand what a profound impact you have had on me and, I am certain, every one of us! You have brought to us an experience that not many women (at our advanced ages!) will ever, ever have! You give us the opportunity to try out new 'skins' (goat and otherwise!), to be uncomfortable at times, and to be with friends in a way that I have not experienced. What we do (for certain) and how we interact with each other during drumming is just different than how we interact in other venues - whether it be at home, at work, at neighborhood parties, at book groups, or through our kids'
events. I wish I could articulate precisely the energy that flows in that room but I can't - and perhaps I shouldn't try!
Anyway, those events are special for all of us - because you, Kristen, bring it to us!
Thanks thanks thanks!
6. THE LIST
if you want to get off my list, it's okay. i won't take it personally. just let me know.
Thank you all for your time and commitment to this beautiful drumming movement-
Peace
Drumlady Kristen Arant
202-213-7810
www.drumlady.com
Tuesday, June 19
Thursday, June 14
Young Women Drum Up Empowerment in YWDEP's 3rd Annual Summer Enrichment Program!
WHO:YWDEP
WHAT:Summer Program Kick Off!
WHERE:St. Stephens Church, 1525 newton st NW 20010
WHEN: Saturday, June 16 12-3 p.m. and thereafter....
Directions/OtherColumbia Heights metro/S2-S4 busline
For the third year in a row, the Young Women's
Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) is preparing to
serve up loads of empowerment-infused expressive arts
workshops this summer, ending in a final public
performance that's sure to drop jaws.
YWDEP uses drumming, spoken word poetry, song,
movement and performance to empower young women's self
expression, self esteem, communication and leadership
skills, and strives to create a safe space for a
diverse group of young women to build camaraderie and
acceptance. YWDEP was founded in 2005 by
artist-activist Kristen Arant, and has grown immensely
over the past two years.
"I applied for a grant from the DC Arts Commission in
'04, basically after encouragement from a friend. I
didn't think I would get it," remarks Arant, 32, who
started out playing oboe and picked up the drum when
she became an activist. "Basically, I know what it's
like to be a teenager - all the challenges young women
face - and I know what brought me through that period.
It was music, dancing, and writing poetry."
After its first summer program in 2005, YWDEP held 4
public performances that simply astounded audiences.
"The young women found a safe space at YWDEP. They
flourished - their voices came out and loud; their
creativity soared. Their brilliance had the
opportunity to finally be seen and heard," Arant said.
The performances include everything the young women
study during the summer program. They take workshops
with incredible artists in poetry, song-writing,
movement, performance technique and more. Arant
teaches them how to play the djembe, a West African
drum that she has studied for seven years. Each year a
new group of young women get to know each other
through team building and working collaboratively to
produce their own performance. The young women come
from all over DC and some from Prince George's County,
MD. The group is diverse in every way - girls who
would not have spoken to one another in school
hallways become friends. They support one another and
build up each other's confidence.
This year, YWDEP boasts extraordinary workshop leaders
including local poet and publisher of Girl Child
Press, Michelle Sewell; Performing hip-hop artivist
The Princess of Controversy; Award-winning actress and
playwright Anu Yadav; Labor Chorus leader Elise
Bryant; Sol y Soul poets Sage Xaxua Morgan-Hubbard and
Regie Cabico; and the Mother of Movement, dancer
Binahkaye Joy.
In the past two years, YWDEP held its summer workshops
every Saturday afternoon; this year it is adding a
Wednesday evening session called "All Drumming, All
the Time."
"We spend a lot of time on Saturdays in team building
and engaging in our poetry, song, movement and
performance workshops," Arant said. "We realized that
drumming needed more attention, so we've devoted an
evening to it."
In addition, YWDEP houses a Mentorship Program, which
trains girls from previous years to mentor new girls.
The goal is for newbies to feel engaged and suppoorted
from the start. This summer, Nancy Umanzor, a
first-year YWDEP graduate, will be serving as the
project's Mentorship Coordinator.
"As the mentorship coordinator, I feel that it's a
huge resonsibility, but I know the YWDEP staff and
mentors will support me throughout the summer," said
Umanzor, 18. "I'm enthusiastic about meeting the new
group of girls who will join YWDEP this summer, and am
confident that our mentors will be able to meet the
challenges that YWDEP will have in store."
YWDEP is still taking applications for young women
ages 13-18. Young women must agree to attending the
majority of summer workshops in order to be accepted
into the program. An application is available online
at www.youngwomendrum.org.
Sessions are every Saturday 12-3 and every Wednesday
evening 6-8 p.m. from June 16-Aug 26. Performance
dates are TBA, but will likely be during the last week
of August. All sessions take place at St Stephens
Church, 1525 Newton St NW in Columbia Heights, DC.
Donations to help support YWDEP are always appreciated
- more information as well as a paypal option are on
the website.
WHAT:Summer Program Kick Off!
WHERE:St. Stephens Church, 1525 newton st NW 20010
WHEN: Saturday, June 16 12-3 p.m. and thereafter....
Directions/OtherColumbia Heights metro/S2-S4 busline
For the third year in a row, the Young Women's
Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) is preparing to
serve up loads of empowerment-infused expressive arts
workshops this summer, ending in a final public
performance that's sure to drop jaws.
YWDEP uses drumming, spoken word poetry, song,
movement and performance to empower young women's self
expression, self esteem, communication and leadership
skills, and strives to create a safe space for a
diverse group of young women to build camaraderie and
acceptance. YWDEP was founded in 2005 by
artist-activist Kristen Arant, and has grown immensely
over the past two years.
"I applied for a grant from the DC Arts Commission in
'04, basically after encouragement from a friend. I
didn't think I would get it," remarks Arant, 32, who
started out playing oboe and picked up the drum when
she became an activist. "Basically, I know what it's
like to be a teenager - all the challenges young women
face - and I know what brought me through that period.
It was music, dancing, and writing poetry."
After its first summer program in 2005, YWDEP held 4
public performances that simply astounded audiences.
"The young women found a safe space at YWDEP. They
flourished - their voices came out and loud; their
creativity soared. Their brilliance had the
opportunity to finally be seen and heard," Arant said.
The performances include everything the young women
study during the summer program. They take workshops
with incredible artists in poetry, song-writing,
movement, performance technique and more. Arant
teaches them how to play the djembe, a West African
drum that she has studied for seven years. Each year a
new group of young women get to know each other
through team building and working collaboratively to
produce their own performance. The young women come
from all over DC and some from Prince George's County,
MD. The group is diverse in every way - girls who
would not have spoken to one another in school
hallways become friends. They support one another and
build up each other's confidence.
This year, YWDEP boasts extraordinary workshop leaders
including local poet and publisher of Girl Child
Press, Michelle Sewell; Performing hip-hop artivist
The Princess of Controversy; Award-winning actress and
playwright Anu Yadav; Labor Chorus leader Elise
Bryant; Sol y Soul poets Sage Xaxua Morgan-Hubbard and
Regie Cabico; and the Mother of Movement, dancer
Binahkaye Joy.
In the past two years, YWDEP held its summer workshops
every Saturday afternoon; this year it is adding a
Wednesday evening session called "All Drumming, All
the Time."
"We spend a lot of time on Saturdays in team building
and engaging in our poetry, song, movement and
performance workshops," Arant said. "We realized that
drumming needed more attention, so we've devoted an
evening to it."
In addition, YWDEP houses a Mentorship Program, which
trains girls from previous years to mentor new girls.
The goal is for newbies to feel engaged and suppoorted
from the start. This summer, Nancy Umanzor, a
first-year YWDEP graduate, will be serving as the
project's Mentorship Coordinator.
"As the mentorship coordinator, I feel that it's a
huge resonsibility, but I know the YWDEP staff and
mentors will support me throughout the summer," said
Umanzor, 18. "I'm enthusiastic about meeting the new
group of girls who will join YWDEP this summer, and am
confident that our mentors will be able to meet the
challenges that YWDEP will have in store."
YWDEP is still taking applications for young women
ages 13-18. Young women must agree to attending the
majority of summer workshops in order to be accepted
into the program. An application is available online
at www.youngwomendrum.org.
Sessions are every Saturday 12-3 and every Wednesday
evening 6-8 p.m. from June 16-Aug 26. Performance
dates are TBA, but will likely be during the last week
of August. All sessions take place at St Stephens
Church, 1525 Newton St NW in Columbia Heights, DC.
Donations to help support YWDEP are always appreciated
- more information as well as a paypal option are on
the website.
Monday, May 14
YWDEP hosts info session for young women, June 2
WHO:YWDEP
WHAT:INFO-SESSION
WHERE:ST. STEPHENS CHURCH, 1525 NEWTON ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20010
WHEN:JUNE 2, 12-3 P.M.
Directions/OtherS2/S4 BUSLINE and COLUMBIA HEIGHTS METRO STOP
The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP)
invites young women ages 13-18 to an info session on
Saturday, June 2, 12-3 p.m. at St Stephens Church,
1525 Newton St NW (Columbia Heights metro/S2-S4
Busline.)
YWDEP uses drumming, spoken word poetry, song,
movement and performance to empower young women's self
expression, self esteem, communication and leadership
skills. YWDEP also strives to create a safe space for
a diverse group of young women to build camaraderie
and acceptance.
The info session will include an introduction to
drumming with Founding Director Kristen Arant, and
will feature interactive presentations from our summer
instructors Michelle Sewell, Regie Cabico, Sage Xaxua
Morgan-Hubbard, Anu Yadav and the Princess of
Controversy. Snacks will be provided, and young women
who entered the project in 2005 and 2006 will share
their experiences and answer questions.
YWDEP is now accepting applications for its third
annual Summer Enrichment Program. The program runs
from June 16-August 26 2007 and includes expressive
arts activities on Saturday afternoons; drumming
workshops on Wednesday evenings; peer mentoring and
team building; and four final performances open to the
general public. Applications are available on our
website - www.youngwomendrum.org - or by mail or email
on request.
Please forward this announcement to any young woman
who might be interested.
Many thanks,
Kristen Arant
Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project
1525 Newton St NW
Washington, DC 20010
202-213-7810
info@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org
WHAT:INFO-SESSION
WHERE:ST. STEPHENS CHURCH, 1525 NEWTON ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20010
WHEN:JUNE 2, 12-3 P.M.
Directions/OtherS2/S4 BUSLINE and COLUMBIA HEIGHTS METRO STOP
The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP)
invites young women ages 13-18 to an info session on
Saturday, June 2, 12-3 p.m. at St Stephens Church,
1525 Newton St NW (Columbia Heights metro/S2-S4
Busline.)
YWDEP uses drumming, spoken word poetry, song,
movement and performance to empower young women's self
expression, self esteem, communication and leadership
skills. YWDEP also strives to create a safe space for
a diverse group of young women to build camaraderie
and acceptance.
The info session will include an introduction to
drumming with Founding Director Kristen Arant, and
will feature interactive presentations from our summer
instructors Michelle Sewell, Regie Cabico, Sage Xaxua
Morgan-Hubbard, Anu Yadav and the Princess of
Controversy. Snacks will be provided, and young women
who entered the project in 2005 and 2006 will share
their experiences and answer questions.
YWDEP is now accepting applications for its third
annual Summer Enrichment Program. The program runs
from June 16-August 26 2007 and includes expressive
arts activities on Saturday afternoons; drumming
workshops on Wednesday evenings; peer mentoring and
team building; and four final performances open to the
general public. Applications are available on our
website - www.youngwomendrum.org - or by mail or email
on request.
Please forward this announcement to any young woman
who might be interested.
Many thanks,
Kristen Arant
Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project
1525 Newton St NW
Washington, DC 20010
202-213-7810
info@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org
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