Drum & Dance in Gwinnett

Drum & Dance in the Park

June 28, 2008 · 7:00 PM
Town Center Park

This month we will return to the great Town Center Park in Suwanee. (We will do it a little differently however, so please read on). Last month's meetup here was a huge success as 60-70 people joined in the energy we created there. We had our largest meetup to date due to both the members who showed up and the number of park visitors who joined in.

We will meet at 7 PM and will play until dark. Your early arrival to help set-up will be appreciated.

This month we will try a slightly different set up. We will gather around the same place in the park as last time, but will form a tighter group of concentric circles. All dancing will be on the OUTSIDE of the circles. The reasoning for this is to bring people closer together so we can hear each other better. When the circle is huge, people on one side can no longer hear the other side and this means they can't hear the group's rhythm, only people on either side of them. I am also hoping that by moving the dancing to the outside of the circle that more people feel free to get up and move to the groove as they will now not feel so "showcased" (as when dancing is in the middle).

I have facilitated enough circles to know that it's important we can hear and that we really listen to each other. When we do, the music we create is greatly enriched and connection/community is formed at a deeper level. We will try this new set-up and I hope to receive feedback from you all. If it turns out this is unpopular, I will change it. This meetup group is for all of us.

Bring a blanket or chairs (chairs work better for drumming), some cool drinks, any percussion instruments you can get your hands on, and your fun-loving, beautiful spirit and let's have another great meetup. We had many new members join us as a result of last month's event. Bring some friends with you and introduce them to whole new way to spend their Saturday evening.

Remember, no alcohol is allowed in the park. I also ask that members help with the clean-up this time. I want to stay in good standing with the city of Suwanee. This is a beautiful park with high visibility and the best venue we have found to date.

In the case of rain, we will create a new date for this event. Please call my cell if you are unsure of it's cancellation. [masked].

See you there,
~ Matt

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Charlotte Scott

Andreas photos are awesome. Thank you Andrea. I posted some others under the album June 28th. Just follow the link to the photo albums on the left upper sidebar. Anyone else out there get pics? Please share. Can't wait to do this again we had a great crowd and I especially loved seeing all the younger girls getting up the courage to dance!

0 · July 6, 2008
Andrea

I'm posting the photos I took, and will post a link to the video I also captured, once I find a suitable location to post them. I so look forward to the next one, and the next one, and so on! Great to see many familiar faces, as well as meet new members.

0 · June 30, 2008
Andrea

What an awesome event! The park is such a perfect venue for a drum circle, and the results were just as I had expected. Park visitors who were there for reasons other than the drum circle, came by to see what all the noise was about. Some just watched, others danced, and many even joined in, as there were plenty of instruments for all.

0 · June 30, 2008
Andrea

What an awesome event! The park is such a perfect venue for a drum circle, and the results were just as I had expected. Park visitors who were there for reasons other than the drum circle, came by to see what all the noise was about. Some just watched, others danced, and many even joined in, as there were plenty of instruments for all. I'm posting the photos I took, and will post a link to the video I also captured, once I find a suitable location to post them. I so look forward to the next one, and the next one, and so on! Great to see many familiar faces, as well as meet new members.

0 · June 30, 2008
Terri Taylor Tattan

The change in setup was a great idea - everyone sounded wonderful and we could actually hear each other! I really appreciate Matt, Charlotte, Andrea and everyone else kind enough to share their instruments!

0 · June 30, 2008
Charlotte Scott

Every drum circle is different, they take their own form. This one was very unique, it seem to facilitate itself gently moving in and out of the rhythms. Lot of new people came to check us out. My favorite moment, a young boy stood to the side, soaking wet from playing in the fountain. He watched with amazement as the drummers pounded out a lively beat. You could see the anticipation on his face. Matt looked at him and said...go dry off and you can join us. He took off running like the wind and came back with his entire family. They all had an awesome time. My guess is they had never experienced anything like this. That just warms my insides and reminds me why Matt and I do this....thanks to all of you that make that possible.

0 · June 30, 2008
Joe Davis

This was my first drum circle and evryones energy made it easy to relax and jump into the groove. Altho when I would catch site of the dancers I'd stumble. lol All kidding aside, the whole event was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Thanks

0 · June 29, 2008
Chaz

I especially enjoyed watching the woman and children holding hands dancing in a circle. It was refreshing to see people dance like children. Drum circles have power to move energy in a healing fashion. Could i prove it? Probably not, but i know how good they are to me. Thanks everybody! And special thanks to Matt and Charlotte for making it happen. Bless you.

0 · June 29, 2008
Chaz

I have had fun at all the circles, but i think yesterday was my personal favorite so far even though we seemed a little light on drummers. I must say Jolene is a fiery drummer and i enjoyed her displays of creativity. And the guy playing the plastic tubs had some primal displays too! I felt like we were kicking stress's ass!

0 · June 29, 2008
Matt

It seems we had about 25-30 members there, but by the time you add all the friends that came with them, kids, and park visitors who joined in, we probably had 50+ at this event.

This meetup was fantastic. The deep grooves we got in were solid and powerful. The group almost seemed to self-facilitate and that let me get out of the way and play, dance, and meet others in the circle. I had a lot of fun! It also brought me great joy to see all the happy faces of adults and kids alike, whether they were dancing or playing an instrument. I couldn't help but to feel gratitude for having this group and this venue for the way it draws people into community.

Thanks to all who came and shared your rhythmic spirit.

See you next month.

0 · June 29, 2008
A former member

The energy was really good. I enjoyed the way people came out of the crowd and joined in.

0 · June 29, 2008
Kit

We had a blast! Looking forward to the next one.

0 · June 29, 2008
A former member

I had a great time!

0 · June 28, 2008
Andrea

I can't begin to express how excited I am to be joining this group this time! There's nothing like an outdoor venue for a drum circle because that's where people are lured to the rhythm from far away. It's also where I've witnessed the birth of many new drummers, as they discover the magic of the drum. I hope to see all the familiar faces, as well as meet many new ones. I also plan on taking many photos, as this is also a passion of mine. So remember, smile, and have a terrific time!

0 · June 21, 2008
Matt

Come one, come all! Bring some friends with you. Show up early and meet others and share some conversation. Get to know others who share this interest with you. We are going to have soooo much fun! Join us. Let's drum and dance like no one's watching.

0 · June 20, 2008
Charlotte Scott

I look forward to this again! I will invite lots of friends and I hope all of you do as well. It's a great location and being outdoors is so awesome. Can't wait to meet you in the groove!

0 · June 15, 2008
Apple

We can not wait- see you there!

0 · June 15, 2008