(the below was posted by YWDEP member Miya Nashonne Upshur-Williams, now in her 4th year and working on the YWDEP mentor staff team. Miya is 17 and attends the Duke Ellington High School for the Arts)
The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project summer intensive has just completed its third week of its 2008 program. With exactly half of the program completed, six spanking new, extremely unique members and four funky returning lady-veterans (a long with assistance and guidance of founder Kristen Arant, a gypsy band of kick ass volunteers, and paid local artists) must band together to create, produce and perform YWDEP highly anticipated 2008 show. In preparation for this, highly anticipated show, these young women have participated in workshops and activities that help build confidence to express oneself, openness, self-awareness, drum technique, positive thinking and empowerment. Each and every week the young women have begun each Thursaday and Saturday sessions with hatha yoga instructed by Durga Vasquez and Ximena Savitch. These yoga sessions provide time for the ladies to get in tune with their thoughts and bodies by constantly encouraging self-awareness through breathing and mastering the postures. Yoga also allows the perfect transition into the workshops and actual drum sessions. After yoga (or firstly on Fridays), the ladies play ice-breakers such as handslap or mirror. While the games are just all out fun, they allow each person to get to know one another and establish a sense of comfort with each other. Her and throughout the session you can see everyone laughing and joking with each other.
So far the young women have successfully learned two African rhythms on the djembe and the dun-uns: the sangban, kenkeni, and dununba drums. Fanga, a rhythm of welcoming, was taught during the first weeks of the program by Kristen Arant. The groove is funky, the ladies seem to enjoy and the sound is also familiar. Toro, the second rhythm, taught by drum master Mahiri, is groove worthy rhythm for initiation. Both rhythms are polyrhythmic and challenge those playing them to listen as musicians of another kind--there is a call and then there is a response, timing and intuitiveness are essential. The ladies have also has the pleasure of moving, dancing and laughing with movement extraordinaire Bina who believes in the philosophy of loving and moving your own booty.Local musician and actress, Princess of Controversy has also visited and taught the young ladies performance technique and the art of owning their creations and words.
