Indeed, these women ARE EMPOWERED! I just started working with the project three weeks ago and I am blown away. I jumped right in on a warm and cozy Friday evening at the sanctuary of St. Stephen's Church to be greeted by laughter, smiles and kindness. When I heard Kristen's group of talented, young, female drummers rock the stage at Georgetown University's Urban Fare 8 last fall, I knew this was something I wanted to be involved in. The mood and energy of the project was so positive, and the kinds of young people it attracts indicated to the audience that Kristen had created something very special and beautiful within the busy streets of our nation's capital.
I am a drummer and Women's Studies minor part of Georgetown University's Class of 2011 and getting involved with YWDEP is one of the many reasons I feel privileged to study in such a multi-faceted and diverse city. This program brings in speakers and performers from different backgrounds and different types of experiences to give the bright women of the program access to various resources from the city. Supplementing their education at school, Kristen has created this space for them to rock out and bust open their creative side, all the while benefiting from DC's underground music and go-go scene.
Kristen's relationships with those that she works with are so genuine and friendly that it is no wonder this project has flourished over the past few years. Last week I had this moment where I was just admiring her as she laughed with the girls, taught them new beats, patiently explained hand positioning, set up yoga mats, prepared a healthy table full of lunch, danced to a Moby song, shook out her nervous jitters before she performed her own spoken word piece, and threw her head back howling at some of the haiku poems that her girls had written. She loves what she does, and her passion has echoed throughout the project enabling it to gain the momentum it has each year.
Last Saturday the group had the privilege to perform at the Art of Living iLead Be The Change event. Let me tell you, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. We did not hold back. Singing and playing two of our pieces, Fanga and KuKu, we pulled the scattered guests from around the venue into the main performance hall as they put their delicious Indian dinner down and clapped their hands or tapped their feet to the soulful rhythms. The girls laid down the beats that Kristen had worked with them on during previous sessions, and we played loud and proud. At the end of playing for a solid twenty minutes, the MC asked if we could rock out for an encore performance and he invited everyone to get up and dance. AND THEY DID! We grooved into this great jam session and get nearly 30-40 people up and rocking to the sound of many young women playing drums like NOBODY'S BUSINESS. It was just so awesome.
With a group like this under Kristen Arant's leadership, there's no telling where the future of YWDEP will go. I only hope that I can continue to be a part of something so powerful.
