YWDEP Featured Events this Weekend!!

Youth Building Bridges (YBB)
invites you to an
Open Mic Night!

Friday, December 8th 2006
@ the Mayorga Coffee Factory
8040 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring MD
Metro: Silver Spring (red line)
7pm-10pm

Let your voice be heard!

Fundraiser for YBB scholarships and programs
Ÿ All ages welcome Ÿ Sign up at the door to performŸ
Ÿ Suggested $10 general/$5 youth donation Ÿ
DOOR PRIZES!

Performances by members of
the Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project!


Opening Minds: The Washington Region for Justice & Inclusion is a nonprofit organization committed to upholding the values of equality, understanding, and respect for all people. Youth Building Bridges, our youth program, brings together teens, educators, and parents to identify and resolve issues caused by isolation and prejudice in their schools and neighborhoods. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.OpeningMinds.org or contact Abra Pollock, Director of Youth Programs, at (301) 650-2438 or apollock@openingminds.org.

---------------------------------


ArtBeat Collective presents:


Growing Roots, exhibition featuring the work of District visual artists :
Aniekan Udofia and Tanekeya Word

Gallery Gatherings:

Opening Sunday, December 10, 2006. 11am-3pm.
Mimosa brunch. Brazilian Jam.
1pm. On Arts and Social Practice, Building Creative Communities , community forum for discussion of arts organizing; discussion leaders:
Lation Media Collective
Hip Hop Matters
Latin American Youth Center, Art & Media House
Young Women's Empowerment Drumming Project
Provisions Library
Admission: FREE

CONTACT: 617.448.4337 or info.artbeat@gmail.com

_____________________________________________________________________

ArtBeat Collective: as artists for artists, we harmonize our efforts across mediums and cultural boundaries to plan, promote and facilitate creative initiatives.

YWDEP features at OCU CREATIVE SHOWCASE, Dec. 2

All - I'm writing to invite you to the One Common
Unity CREATVIE SHOWCASE happening this Saturday, Dec.
2 from 6-9 at St. Stephens Church in Washington, DC -
1525 Newton St. NW.

The young women of YWDEP, along with a host of other
creative acts will be featured. The event is a
membership drive for OCU, which is the fiscal sponsor
of YWDEP and other organizations who are working
through arts and media to build a more peaceful and
sustainable planet. The event will offer $10
vegetarian plates from Whole Foods, and the show is
planned to be broadcast on PUBLIC ACCESS TV. See below
for more details and hope to see you there!

Peace
Kristen
YWDEP Founding Artistic Director
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org

One Common Unity Hosts Creative Arts Showcase &
Membership Drive THIS
Saturday, December 2nd
------------ --------- ---------

Washington, DC – One Common Unity, Inc. (OCU), a DC-based 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is "to create sustainable communities through innovative peace education, arts and media," will host a creative program showcase & membership drive featuring various initiatives and projects currently sponsored and supported by OCU.

This creative showcase will take place on Saturday, December 2nd, 2006, from 6pm until 9:00pm at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Church, 1525 Newton Street, NW , Washington , D.C. A donation of $5 - $10 is suggested for admission. Vegetarian Dinner plates, graciously donated by Java Green & Whole Foods Tenleytown Market, will be available for $10. Proceeds will benefit OCU. All are invited to attend.

The purpose of this showcase is to build One Common Unity's membership base through increasing the number
of annual donors; while simultaneously, introducing the Washington, D.C. community to OCU's strategic
partnerships, creative projects and youth initiatives sponsored, including Revel Youth Shine (RYS), the
Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP), ShantiSalaam, The Movement, DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency (GPI), DC-ICE (Inner City Excitement), Beyond the Global Divide, and Share a Moment of Love.

This showcase community event will celebrate ShantiSalaam' s, OCU's first international, arts-based innovative peace
education project, departure on December 3, 2006, for South Asia, specifically India and Pakistan, to promote peaceful relations between the two countries. With an anticipated return to DC on January 27, 2007, Indian and Pakistani artists and musicians in this program, will unite under the titled "ShantiSalaam" and together tour universities located in their
respective countries to promote unity and conflict resolution.

In attendance will be OCU's Board of Directors and members of its Advisory Council. The dynamic evening, filmed by DC
Public Access Television video cameras for the creation of a special documentary, will be interlaced with musical performances, poetry, live community mural painting, and a special art auction. During the Creative Showcase, an official announcement will be made to herald the launch of OCU's new website and the opening of its newly founded "Creative
Arts and Healing Center," in partnership with Abram's Creek Retreat and Campground, Allegheny Mountain, West Virginia.

Founded in 2000, OCU initially was focused on providing alternatives to violence for DC youth through community events and festivals, as well as facilitating workshops in public schools, fostering creative self-_expression through poetry & music. Now in its sixth year, OCU has expanded its mission to include peace education, conflict resolution, cross-cultural and intergenerational engagement, and creative activities that immerse young people in nature, cultivating respect for themselves, others and the natural world, while also learning about new and innovative ways to make their communities more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

By sponsoring an array of projects, OCU continues to expand upon its network of peace educators and creative artists both
locally and internationally in an effort to fulfill its mission of sustainable community development.

For more information about One Common Unity's Creative Showcase & Membership Drive, please call Hawah Kasat, Executive
Director, at (202) 529-2125 or email hawah@onecommonunit y.org.
###

Hawah

www.everlutionary. net

"One of the greatest gifts we can give to another is
our own strong
belief in their potential... " -David Wolfe.

YWDEP Performs at AU!

Friends -

Just writing to inform all of you that the Goddesses of Rhythm will be sharing their work with audiences at American University this Thursday as part of a benefit for Women for Women International. We're thrilled to have this opportunity to perform our entire show once again - if you missed the show at DC Arts Center this past September, then we'd love to see you Thursday night!

YWDEP at AU
Thursday, Nov. 9
7:30 p.m.
Battelle Building Atrium (on the main quad)

Thanks!

Kristen Arant
YWDEP founding director
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org

YWDEP reviewed - "Drumming up the Possible"

Drumming up the Possible
by Jenifer Deal


Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project is the single most important performative work in the DC area.

For many, Sunday afternoon in Adams Morgan means standing in line at Tryst or the Diner in hopes of fending off or drowning out the echoes of Saturday night's indulgences. But this past Sunday, October 24, The DCAC at 2438 18th Street was serving up vastly different and infinitely more nourishing fare than the eateries across the street. I ate my repast there at the counter and felt distinctly unsatisfied by my eggs over easy, but they turned out to be all I needed before I trotted across the street and up the stairs to the DCAC.

The crowd was thick and talkative in the gallery and we took in the well curated Space of Change exhibit with curious energy. In the catalogue exhibit Curators Margaret Boozer and Claire Huschle write that the works address the concept of liminal space, i.e., "the surrounding space of change itself." From Justin Rabideau's empty vessels and raked earth to Amy Kaplan's mummified/cocooned teddy bears, the exhibit was an apt visual aperitif for the main performative course being prepared in the theatre beyond.

When the house opened, the boisterous audience jammed the DCAC's tiny theatre to the rafters; people lined the walls, the stairs, and the aisles, and the floor was paved with an anticipatory audience of happy young people. In contrast to the quietly tasty musings back in the gallery, we were all sitting down to what would be a veritable performative smorgasboard.

A dozen African hand drums and accompanying chairs arced in a simple curve along the back of the tight playing space, and after the audience settled down, the lights came up and a dozen young women clad in individually styled yellow t-shirts strode confidently into the space and took their seats. Seated in the center, Kristin Arant, a tiny wild-haired redhead took a large drum between her knees, and with an eye-contacting glance to her right and left, struck up the rhythm, and we were off on a fantastic ride.

What a joy. When not beating out thunderous tuttis and solis in their rich drum line, the young women wove around the stage in and among themselves, delivering delicious vignettes in varying recombinant subgroups. Their poetry was stunningly complex and fully realized, the a cappella vocals subtly flavored, the dancing robust (nevermind the crowd of admirers at their feet!). And of course there was the drumming! Not a soul in the place could hold still, and the crowd erupted when the performers struck up a modified go-go beat.

Arant, the bubbly ball of talent, joy and fire who led the performance, founded the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP), and this project is a roots revolution from the heart, with the potential to bring new hope to the strenuously overused term of empowerment. Arant states on the website www.YoungWomenDrum.org that as an ostracized child, she finally found her sense of self when someone put a drum in her hands, and now in a dramatic example of paying it forward she has bestowed this same gift on these "Goddesses of Rhythm" as the program hails them.

These young women, the youngest at 13, are all teenaged students attending DC area schools, and the impact of the gift that Arant has shared with these fortunate young woman is as deep, rich and vital as the booming bass notes they beat out their djembes, and indeed the impact was far from lost on the audience who unanimously leapt to their feet at the close of the performance.

The visual explorations up in the gallery were subtly evocative in their respective space, and YWDEP's performance was the perfect complement. For both the performers and the witness audience felt YWDEP hit the play button on liminal time. We were suspended in the point of discovery: Young women becoming. Not the point where they have made their decisions and achieved all their goals, but that exquisite moment where we become aware of the infinite possibities within each of us.

The poignancy and critically immediate importance of this performance and the work of the people who developed it cannot be understated; Destiny is often a foregone conclusion for the majority of the women in our country, and indeed, the women on the rest of our frail Eden are screaming, starving and dying for change. The faces, voices and deeds of "men in charge" have choked us with duplicitous platitudes, grievous wrongs, and the booted oppression of the status quo. The thundering drumbeats of YWDEP shatters this paradigm, offering the mercy of something entirely different: the conscious discovery of the free will to choose to change.

In this respect they remind us of what has always been true. What these women are creating is rooted deeply within the simplicity of drumming, developed at the prelingual dawn of our species' consciousness. Humans have wandered far in the African diaspora, but our genesis lies in the soils of Africa, but no matter what the distance, geographical, cultural, political, we all prick up our ears when the drum sounds. The beat reminds us of our earliest conscious choices to interpret our environment and express ourselves within it. And the most current science indicates that these choices were not only responsive but also drove our evolution toward civilization. For the women of YWDEP and those fortunate enough to witness this work, the world is a very different space; it is a place where we choose what we will be. This world desperately needs the possibilities they embody, and the use of free will they engender in others.

I left that performance filled as I haven't been in any recent memory: sated with what I had seen, and with a distinct anticipation of what was next for all of us. I had visions of YWDEP chapters in every city and hamlet of America; Young women beating down the limited expectations of all who would confine them, gaining confidence to be who they wish, having the courage to empathize with people who are very different from them, and building a new society of love and respect for all creatures of the earth. YWDEP proves we can all choose the possible.


Originally published on September 27, 2006 at: http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/135920/index.php
copyright by the author. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Jenifer Deal is a Washington, DC-based actress. She received the Helen Hayes Award (Outstanding Lead Actress) in 2002 for The Source Theatre Company’s production of The Muckle Man. She was also nominated for the Helen Hayes Outstanding Supporting Actress Award in 2001 for her role in Dancing at Lughnasa (The Keegan Theatre). Deal’s recent credits also include Jason in Medea (Washington Shakespeare Company), Claire in Boston Marriage (The Source Theatre Company), Prospero in The Tempest (Washington Shakespeare Company), and Diana in Abducting Diana (Trumpet Vine Theatre Company). In October 2005, she performed SCENA Theatre Company’s production of the one-woman play, Amelia, in Slovenia.

YWDEP at Guerilla Poetry Insurgency

On Labor Day, YWDEP Executive Director Kristen Arant and She Poet Nancy Umanzor featured some new pieces at the Guerilla Poetry Insurgency's lyrical ambush in Dupont, including a new collaborative piece by the Goddesses of Rhythm.

Read the report back from the event on GPI's blog.

Goddess of Rhythm take the stage!!!

For Immediate Release: 9/05/06
Contact: Kristen Arant: 202-213-7810


“Goddesses of Rhythm” take the stage in YWDEP final performances at DCAC


The Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) is proud to announce the initiation of its 7 new members in their debut performance: “The Elements of the Drum.”

The new group, the Goddesses of Rhythm, will feature outstanding new material to audiences at the DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St NW in Adam’s Morgan, on Sept. 16, 17, and 23rd at 7:30 with a matinee show on Sunday Sept. 24th at 3:00.

This year’s young women took fast to the drum and have already performed twice during their summer program, which began in June and is now coming to a close. During the program, they studied West African hand drumming, poetry, song writing, movement, and performance technique with a variety of area female artists including the Princess of Controversy, Anu Yadav, Luci Murphy, Venus Theatre’s Deb Randall, and locally renown drummer Jaqui MacMillan.

The performance, which runs about an hour, includes 3 traditional West African and Afro-Cuban rhythms along with the Goddesses’ own interpretation of the local go-go beat. In addition they have constructed astounding group pieces fusing poetry, song, rhythm and movement on topics ranging from education reform to violence in our communities to body image and more.

For example, the hook from the Goddesses’ featured group rap on education:
“We need an education reformation in a nation - that always seems to lack such important information - gotta find it, gotta feed it to the younger generations - ‘cuz ultimately they’ll become the federation - of the young, and the gifted and the weight will be uplifted - ‘cuz knowledge is power and finally it’s ours – knowledge is power and finally it’s ours.”

During the summer program, last year’s YWDEP crew (The She Poets of the Rizing Moon) earned stipends as mentors to the new group. Three of the mentors will perform with the Goddesses of Rhythm this year in supporting roles, bringing together 10 young women on the stage.

“The new members of YWDEP bring a younger vibe than last year’s group,” says Nancy Umanzor, She Poet and mentor. “They’re really motivated to learn the rhythms, serious about working on their poetry and songs to present them for the performance, and gaining confidence on a daily basis. I see great things coming from this younger group of girls.”

In August 2006, YWDEP received fiscal sponsorship from One Common Unity, Inc. and has recently moved into a shared office space at St. Stephen’s Church, 1525 Newton St NW. For more information please visit our website: www.youngwomendrum.org.

GRATITUDE

All -

I just want to thank all of those who attended, lended talent to, and volunteered for the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project's benefit concert last Saturday afternoon at Busboys and Poets.

We had such an incredible turnout - we packed the house with standing room only. Our performers blew the
roof off with their skill, talent, sincerity and beauty. Thank you Samaa, Laila, Fadi, Naudy, Deb, Treasure, Michelle, Cherie, Alan, Luci, Sage, Princess and Triflava, and all the women both young and old who drummed with the Intergenerational Women's Drum Choir.

Thank you to the PRINCESS OF CONTROVERSY for being our impeccable host!

Thank you to our volunteers - John, Jess, Jeff, Ilana, Margaret, Kevin, Mo, and Henry for stepping up to the plate
again and again when we needed you.

Thanks to our artists and businesses who so graciously donated their work and wares to our wonderfully successful auction
and raffle.

Thanks to the YWDEP interns and staff who's hard work and organizing skills made this fundraiser possible: Alexandra,
Julie, Dre, Dena and Indra.

Thanks to our documentarians - ken and rick - for lending your great skills to the recording of this event, and to Askia
Mohommad, for allowing us to broadcast our event on WPFW, and to Luci Murphy who arranged that broadcast for us.

Thanks to Deborah McKinney and INCITE for gracing the stage with purpose and framing the issue so beautifully and being
there to support us - also Amoretta Morris, Eshauna Smith and Johonna McCants - all of you have been such a great
help - thank you.

Thank you to all of our audience members who participated so wholeheartedly in our efforts to embrace a young women who was wronged in our community.

Finally I want to thank Andy Shallal and busboys and poets for making the space available to us for this and other events,
for donating the food, and for giving us such great support in all we do.

-we exceeded our goals and were able to raise enough money to help our she poet settle a host of unpaid expenses which will allow her and her family to get back on track, and which will also allow her to return to her studies at Prince George's Community College in the fall, where she is an honor student-

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Our community is an absolute blessing.

Peace and Gratitude,
Kristen and the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org

Update on August 19th Event

FRIENDS!

We are more than excited about Saturday's fundraiser!

Today we were featured on "Morning Jazz" on WPFW 89.3 FM. The host, Askia Mohammad, played a song from our CD and interviewed me with regard to YWDEP and the details of the fundraiser. In addition, we received a call about the fundraiser from the office of Marie Johns (DC Democratic Mayoral Candidate), and we hear she plans to attend.

Further, we have added an incredible keynote speaker to our concernt program - Deborah McKinney from INCITE: Women of Color Against Violence will bring us her thoughts and reflections on the issue of violence in our city, specifically as it pertains to creating more, safer spaces for young people and especially young women.

That being said, "We get by with a little help from our friends" as the phrase goes - we are looking for just a few people to help out this weekend with some specific needs:

-assisting at the merchandise table
-assisting with the auction
-assisting at the door
-assisting with the raffle

if any of you have the time and interest, please let me know.

otherwise, hope to see all of you there - and please feel free to spread the word

Peace and THANK YOU for supporting YWDEP!

Benefit Concert for a She Poet

BENEFIT FOR A SHE POET: Sat Aug. 19 4-6:30 p.m., Busboys and Poets


Please join the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project and the Princess of Controversy in standing with one of our She Poets, who was recently a victim of gun
violence in our city.

On Friday, June 23rd, a 19-year-old YWDEP project member was shot twice in her back by a gun-weilding stranger. She is now in the process of recovering from her injuries including a broken collarbone, while she and her family are undergoing an enormous financial burden. She is also awaiting major surgery in order to remove one of the bullets.

YWDEP is organizing a benefit concert to assist her and her family and to re-assert that we DO NOT AND WILL NOT tolerate violence in our communities.

Local hip-hop artist the Princess of Controversy will host and perform, along with local poets Michelle Sewell, Margaux Delotte Bennett and Laila Shereen; hip hop artist Cherie Latson; singer/songleader Luci Murphy; dancer Samaa of WeDance Ensemble; actor Deb Randall of Venus Theatre; singer/songwriters Naudy Martinez, Juliana Landim and Alan Scott of the Alan Scott Band; and of course YWDEP along with the Intergenrational Women's Drum Choir.

Please join us - we need your support and solidarity.

WHERE: Busboys & Poets - 2021 14th Street, NW DC /U St Cardozo Metro Station

WHEN: Saturday, August 19th, 4:00 - 6:30 pm

$10-20 suggested donation at the door. For scholarship information, please contact Alexandra at alexandra@youngwomendrum.org. RSVP appreciated.

Refreshments will be served and there will be a raffle featuring YWDEP merchandise, gift certificates, instruments and more. We will also feature a silent auction with original artwork by local artists Hawah, Andres Arango, Alexandra Silverthorne and Christian Perez.

For more information, see our website: www.youngwomendrum.org or contact YWDEP's Founding Director Kristen Arant at Kristen@youngwomendrum.org or 202-213-7810.

YWDEP Brings the SHE DRUMMIN spirit to Malcolm X Park

Friends,

This weekend, the young women of YWDEP continued to grow and impress not only me, but themselves.

First, at our Saturday workshop, three of our girls bravely embraced the dun-uns (large African bass drums played with sticks). Playing these drums is especially difficult because one must play one rhythm on the drum head while beating out another, congruent rhythm on a bell with the other hand ... simultaneously. To my amazement, the young women picked this up faster than any adult I've ever seen try it! They got down the three bass parts to our new rhythm, YANKADI, and played a beautiful back-up to the two djembe parts, which are also quite difficult, yet quickly learned by our crew. In addition we firmed up our song, adding in a solid bridge and envisioning harmonies for the chorus. We ended our session with a variety of activities; YWDEPers chose to eat, write, make up rhythms using sticks and dowels (!), and make cards for two of our She Poets - Stephanie and Treasure - who have been ill lately and unable to attend the sessions.

Then came Sunday at the Park...

It was a beautiful day - perfect for the MX Park drum circle, and 5 of our crew showed up to take on the challenge of drumming with a mostly male contingency. We had a blast. We set up at "our" tree (same place we set up for last year's excursion), and warmed up there with pieces of rhythms we knew to go along with the beats radiating from the circle. Then, all together, we grabbed drums and chairs and entered the ring. We made a space for ourselves and played our hearts out for at least an hour, not just keeping up but also lending soul and rhythm to the space. We played for many dancers (some of whom thoroughly entertained us!) until our hands hurt! Next week is more of the same so don't miss the opportunity to see these girls in action! We'll be at the park starting at 4 p.m. this coming Sunday.

In peace and rhythm,
Kristen Arant
YWDEP founding director
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org

Snapshots from Song Writing

Together, under the guidance of Margaux, the girls collectively write a song.


Margaux and Kristen smile for the camera.

Young Women Drummers Lay it Down in B-more!

Last weekend, YWDEP young women had the opportunity to attend the BUMBADA All-Women's Drum Recital at the Greenmount School in Baltimore, MD.

BUMBADA is led by Tammi Hessen, a wonderful woman who is one of my teachers, and whose knowledge of West African drumming and rhythms has become essential to YWDEP's repertoire.

Last Saturday, YWDEP young women first met at St Stephens Church for our weekly workshop, and in just 3 short hours were able to work out our own version of KuKu (Guinea fish harvesting rhythm) as well as the DC Go-Go Beat, which included a Go-Go history lesson from one of YWDEP's few good men, and long-time DC native, Henry Moses.

The girls took Go-Go by the reigns. Not only did they pick up the baseline with little effort, but also took turns soloing during the breaks. In addition, we added chants inside the breaks including "Young Women Drummers Got the Go-Go Beat!" and "Me and my girls play the drums till the break of dawn!" The young women were ready to take the stage.

We traveled to Baltimore in 3 groups and first stopped through the Papermoon Cafe, which served to entertain us with its random art sculptures (including a mannequin who apparently had moving eyes and scared the life out of a few of us...)We got them back on the entertainment front by drumming and playing games on the table (sorry Paper Moon serving staff!!!)

We then proceeded on full stomachs to the Greenmount School and walked right in on a BUMBADA dress rehearsal. We heard the drumbeats from the parking lot and got immediately pumped! Luckily, we got to rehearse our pieces with Bumbada women, who joined us on KuKu, giving us an even stronger presence.

The young women then watched BUMBADA bring it on several African pieces, and got ready to take the stage at the beginning of the 2nd act. When their time came, the girls rose to the occasion and inspired the entire audience with their courage and pure funkiness! Our performance ended with a beautiful standing ovation -- thanks BUMBADA for giving us this opportunity!

The field trip was a beautiful bonding experience as well - our core group is norming and becoming a tight unit. I'm thrilled at the possibilities!!

Looking forward to moving into the new office too!

Peace and Rhythm
Kristen Arant
YWDEP Founding Director
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org
202-213-7810

We Have A Home!

I'm happy to announce that as of last Friday, YWDEP now has a home-base. We will be sharing an office space in St. Stephen's church. This is particularly exciting, as we already meet at the church once a week for our weekly workshops. Stay tuned for an office-warming party!

YWDEP takes Baltimore - THIS WEEKEND!

Friends -

This week, YWDEP is taking BALTIMORE to attend and PERFORM at the 2nd Annual All-Women's Drumming Recital - BUMBADA!

Our new group of girls plus a few of our mentors (who are last year's She Poets) will be travelling to Baltimore on Saturday to witness the magic of the all-women's drumming group, BUMBADA, led by one of my teachers, Tammi Hessen.

Please see below for a full announcement.

In addition, this week we begin our first in a series of 3 workshops dedicated to DRUMMING. From 12-3 this weekend, young women are invited to attend a drumming intensive to sharpen their skills and learn rhythms.

I'd also like to share the chorus of our new song, which totally stuns me. The young women wrote this together as a group in Margaux Delotte-Bennett's recent song-writing class:

You sing like a bird
And you fly like a bird
Even when
You don't have wings

Your voice will be heard
Every single word
So open up
Your heart [mouth] and sing

In peace and rhythm,

Kristen Arant
YWDEP Founding Director
202-213-7810
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org



--------------------------------------------------------------BUMBADA ANNOUNCEMENT BELOW

Hi all,
Please...
SAVE THE DATE

For the 3rd Annual

BUMBADA
Women Drumming
Recital/Performance and Fundraiser for the Greenmount
School!

Saturday night, July 15, 2006
7:15pm
At The Greenmount School
501 W. 30th Street in Baltmore, MD 21211
Admission $10-$15 donation, sliding scale.

For those women who play drums, we will be playing at
least one piece where we would love to have women
drummers come up and sit in with us with your drum. If
you are interested in this (don't worry the drum
rhythm is simple), please let me know!

Be prepared for a great drumming performance by
Bumbada Women Drumming! and friends, and a dance
performance by Lancaster's own N'bonye dancers. THere
will also be a marketplace and a silent auction, so
bring some extra mula.

If you have a silent auction item or service to
donate, we would greatly appreciate it. If you cannot
attend the recital, but would like to donate to the
cause, please mail me back and let me know. Donations
are tax deductible.

For information about attending or donating to the
fundraiser, contact tammi_waffle@yahoo.com or
443.956.1409.

If you would like more information about Bumbada,
please see www.bumbadawomenweekend.myevent.com and
check out the page about Bumbada.

A song for our souls

This past weekend, Margaux Delotte Bennett graced us with her solid, peaceful presence and gave us an opportunity to explore the world of song-writing.

After an hour of drumming, which involved learning our second rhythm (SHIKO), we dove into a brainstorm on what makes a song, and types of music. After deciding on our top 5 favorites (which were a crazy milieu including hip hop, acid rock, soul and go-go), we began constructing lyrics. We finished with a beautiful chorus that instructs the listener to release fear, grow wings and be herself.

Next weekend, Margaux is back to further facilitate our process. We hope to come out with an entire song - or at least a few more lines. (:

In rhythm,
Kristen

Time For A Little Song-Writing!

This Saturday, Margaux Delotte Bennett will share her song-writing skills with the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project. Girls living in DC ages 13-19 are invited to come explore their own inner divas with Ms. Bennett, and should bring with them any songs or music they have written to share with the group. The goal is to create a song together as a collaborative piece.

What: YWDEP song-writing workshop with Margaux Delotte-Bennett (bio below)
When: This Saturday, July 1st 2006, 12-3 p.m.
Where: St. Stephens Episcopal Church, corner of 16th and Newton Sts NW, Columbia Heights metro or S2/S4 bus line, Washington DC

Questions? Call Kristen: 202-213-7810
----

About Margaux Delotte-Bennett:

Margaux started writing poetry when she was in high school and soon after her mother gave her a blank book to write all of her poetry in. Now she writes poetry, songs and monologues that use a mixture of creative elements. As an active performer and Board Member with Sol y Soul, a local arts and activism organization,
Margaux has facilitated numerous writing and performance workshops, performed around the DC metro area and worked with others to create shows using her original works. In 2002 Spoken Resistance, a part of Sol y Soul, won the mayor's emerging artist award and Margaux performed with an ensamble at the awards show. In 1999 Margaux had the opportunity to live and work in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. While there, she was
a volunteer art teacher at St. Christopher's Shelter that housed homeless boys. The Eastern Province Society of Arts and Crafts allowed Margaux to host an art exhibit of the boys' work. During her time in South Africa, Margaux was also a member of the Sakhana Theater Company that performed an HIV/AIDS awareness play around the city. Upon returning to DC, Margaux continued her involvement with the Washington Action Group, a puppet street theater group that performed at rallies and events. She started working at the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) in 2000 organizing & facilitating a weekly creative writing group and other events.

Workshop #3: Poetry

YWDEP 2nd Session Boasts 10 new members!

On Saturday, June 17, our second session of the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project summer program boasted 10 new members, 4 mentors and the assistance of 4 staff and volunteers plus our incredible poetry instructor, Laila Shereen Sakr. I am ecstatic, not to mention blown away by the talent, maturity, and diversity of our newly forming second year group.

Highlights!!

-For the first hour we drummed; new girls kept arriving and we were constantly getting up to add new chairs! By the end of drumming hour, there were 18 of us in a big circle all playing the KuKu rhythm (Guinean rhythm from the Mandingue people).

-The next big thing was another fun ice breaker from Mentorship Coordinator Dre that involved taking our shoes off and running around. Need anymore be said?

-Laila then instructed us to pound our chests and vocalize - to feel the vibration of our voices - and then she gave us wads of bubble gum! We chewed through 6 awesome pieces of poetry by June Jordan, Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, Langston Hughes, JaHipster and Saul Williams, each taking turns to read, combatting our gum and the fans! After that we talked about the poems, got inspired, and went off to WRITE! We came back with incredible verses around the hook Laila gave us - "Hang your heart light, baby, Hang your heart bright." Several young women read, and knocked us out with their words.

-We took the last half hour of the session to divide up into mentorship clusters where the She Poets of 2005 (our beloved mentors!) could sit down with a few new members each and begin the process of bonding. This was a beautiful time in our session and we will be holding mentor/mentee time during the last half hour of each session from here on out!

-We ended with some crazy toning from Kristen - going up the chakras with our voices and trying not to laugh!!

We meet again THIS WEEKEND - Saturday June 24, 2006 from 12-3 p.m. at St Stephens Church in the Auditorium to finish what we started with Ms. Laila. This week, girls are instructed to write stream of consciousness for at least 15 minutes - this means the pen never leaves the page - and to take another 45 minutes or more to A. work on the poem from last week, or B. select a morsel from the stream of consciousness and create a new poem, or C. BOTH!

Can't Wait!

Peace and Rhythm
Kristen Arant, Founding Director
YWDEP
202-213-7810
kristen@youngwomendrum.org
www.youngwomendrum.org

A Strong Start for YWDEP '06!

We gathered at St. Stephens Church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2006 for our first session of YWDEP 2006. We had more and better drums than in 2005, plus a better space, lovely snack and beverage donations from our snack mistress Laura Lee, beautiful hand cards by the talented Ms. Alexandra Silverthorne, and new and improved team challenges from Dre Sterner, who referred to herself as being a fourth grader deep down.

All of our inner childs came out to play for blind-folded soccer and space monster, followed by a frank discussion on the importance of honesty and trust. 2005 YWDEP She Poets Miya Nashonne, Nancy Umanzor and Naudy Martinez joined us and lended a feeling of comfort, ease and welcoming to three rockin' newbies - Claire, Shakeira and Elena - all of whom fit right in without fitting any sort of mold, which carries us forward from last year as we have another opportunity to ackowledge and celebrate the beauty and individuality of each girl who joins.

Ms. Kristen then invoked the spirit of the drum by showing the notes of the djembe along with one of YWDEP's signature rhythms - "KuKu" - and a little jamming too. Everyone caught on so quick - we are off to a fabulous start. Next week we become enraptured with poetry in a workshop featuring Ms. Laila Shereen Sakr. More newbies are welcome - just show up!!! The schedule is fully available online at www.youngwomendrum.org, along with the application for those who can download it. Fill it out and bring it to the session, or just fill one out when you arrive. We want you - DC girls ROCK!

Peace and Rhythm,

Kristen Arant
YWDEP Founding Director
kristen@youngwomendrum.org

Announcing the Summer Schedule!

-2006 SUMMER SCHEDULE-

June 10th in the Sanctuary: Ice Breakers & Intro to Drumming (Noon - 3pm)
June 17th in the Auditorium: Poetry (Noon - 3pm)
June 24th in the Auditorium: Poetry (Noon - 3pm)

July 1st in the Sanctuary: Song-Writing (Noon - 3pm)
July 8th in the Sanctuary: Song-Writing (Noon - 3pm)
July 15th in the Sanctuary: Drumming (Noon - 3pm)
July 22nd in the Sanctuary: Drumming (Noon - 3pm)
July 29th in the Sanctuary: Drumming (Noon - 3pm)

August 5th in the Auditorium: African Dance (Noon - 3pm)
August 12th in the Sanctuary: Theater/Movement (Noon - 3pm)
August 19th in the Sanctuary: Performance Technique (Noon - 3pm)
August 26th in the Sanctuary: Performance Technique (Noon - 3pm)
August 30th in the Dining Room: Building the Performance (6:30 - 9pm)*

September 2nd in the Sanctuary: Building the Performance (Noon - 3pm)
September 6th in the Dining Room: Staging (6:30 - 9pm)*
September 9th in the Sanctuary: Rehearsal (Noon - 3pm)
September 13th in the Dining Room: Staging (6:30 - 9pm)*

Dress Reheasals & Performances TBD
Schedule is subject to programmatic changes, however, all workshop dates are final
All workshops will take place at St. Stephen's Church (16th Street & Newton Street, NW)
Columbia Heights metro or S2/S4 bus line.

Website, Gallery, Application, and Store!

Our website has been revamped and it looks great! Be sure to check it out at www.youngwomendrum.org.

There are a few new features on the website, including the ability to know download a pdf of the 2006 program application, a photo gallery, and a new Cafe Press store where you can purchase YWDEP gear.

So check it all out!

May 6 Recruitment Gathering is ON!!

YOUNG WOMEN'S DRUMMING EMPOWERMENT PROJECT

NOW RECRUITING!!
Recruitment Gathering May 6, Noon, Malcolm X Park

The Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) is open to young women from DC between the ages of 13 and 18. YWDEP members learn to play African hand drums and percussion while expressing themselves through poetry, spoken word, song, and movement. The project consists of weekly workshops beginning in June with local female artists, and culminates with a final public performance in mid-September. The project also features extracurricular activities such as team building, drum circles and concerts.
THE PROJECT IS FREE OF CHARGE, and no prior drumming, poetry or singing experience is necessary.

Join us for a recruitment gathering!
May 6 @ noon * Malcolm X Park

-DRUM CIRCLE-
-TEAM BUILDING-
-SNACKS-


For more information contact: Kristen Arant 202-213-7810
info@youngwomendrum.org www.youngwomendrum.org

BUMBADA! NEWS

Recently, three of our young women had the opportunity to attend the BUMBADA all-women's drumming conference just north of Baltimore, MD.

Here's what they had to say!!

Posted by Nancy Umanzor:

The drumming conference was an amazing experience for me as an individual. The intense druming really helped me improve my skills. The fact that it was all female made a difference -one did not hesitate to try out new things or mess up. The drumming gave me more confidence in my drumming skills and allowed me to explore new rhythms. The African dancing classes also hyped the place up. The mixture of drumming and dancing really does bring out a unique feeling to the enviornment. Overall I had an awsome time and can't wait for next year!

YOUNG WOMEN'S DRUMMING EMPOWERMENT PROJECT GETS PUMPED FOR AN INCREDIBLE SECOND YEAR

The drum beats steady for the Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project as we get ready for an even more amazing second year.

FUNDRAISER AND RECENT ACTIVITIES
Our recent fundraiser at Busboy and Poets was a huge success, featuring the She-Poets as well as DC female artists such as the Guerilla Poets Insurgency, Deb Randall, Margaux Delotte-Bennett, and Princess of Controversy, among others. With a full house and an inspiring finale including over 30 women dancing, drumming and singing, YWDEP is well on its way towards a phenomenal second year. Recent gigs included the Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s Black History Month Extravaganza and an event at the twentieth anniversary of CentroNia.

PEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
YWDEP will be launching a new peer-mentoring program as part of our offerings for the 2006 season. The program will provide a stipend to senior members of the group to mentor new members coming into the group. Mentors will share drumming skills and knowledge with the mentees as well as emotional support and encouragement. In addition to helping new members develop as artists and leaders, we also hope the mentors will help to provide a structure with which they can set life goals, create plans, and make steps toward those goals. We are excited about this new aspect of YWDEP, and anticipate that it will strengthen us even more.

ALL WOMEN’S DRUM CONFERENCE
The hills of Monkton, MD will be echoing with the sound of djembes on March 31-April 2 as the She-Poets and staff attend the BUMBADA WOMEN’S DRUMMING WEEKEND. The weekend will include workshops and plenty of drum circles, “to honor the spirit of drumming, and the magic of an all-women event.”

RECRUITMENT PICNIC
YWDEP will be holding a recruitment picnic on Saturday, May 6th at Malcolm X Park in DC. If you are a female between the ages of 13-19 we invite you to come and learn more about the YWDEP program this summer and to meet the She Poets of the Rizing Moon for an informal drum circle, potluck, and team building games. Rain Date is May 13 - same time, same place.

SUMMER PLANS
Stay tuned for more shows and events!