memories to savor
Over 100 people showed up for the last Drum and Dance Saturday in Cambridge on Saturday, December 15, 2007. There was a wonderful mix of old friends and new faces; at the middle circle, more than ten people raised their hand when asked “how many people are here for the first time?” Then - “how many people are here for the last time?” We all looked around, taken aback. Everyone in the circle was there for the last time.
So many years, so many rhythms, so many voices raised high, so many smiles, so much energy! For nearly 30 years the beat has been kept in Harvard Square, first by Onye Onyemaechi, then by Conga Jim with Bob Walker and Jason Williams, and for the last 18 years by Earth Drum Council (Jimi and me). In these last years, Drum and Dance has been a major gateway through which people from all walks of life entered the community of Fire Tribe and Neo-Paganism. As we close this gate, we do so knowing that many other gates have been opened since we first began doing this work.
The feather went around and people invoked themselves into the circle. A few people had traveled far to be there with us. Andrew came from L.A. Sparky drove from New Paltz, damn the snowstorm. Rip and Ed drove up from the Isle of Long. Regulars from the Amherst circle (some of whom used to be regulars in Cambridge) made the pilgrimage: Asherah, Bucky, Emily, Devorah, Wheeler, and more. Many old friends were there, some with babies, like Britt and Sally, and Jeff and Jesse. Jon, Lisa, Rox, Sky Bear, Chris, Matt W, Matt B, Lucretia, Sarahluna, Jim, Jesse, John T, Jason C, all brought their drums and turned up the temperature. Wren came and worked the door for old times sake. Many thanks as always to Christine and RJ for set-up help, and to Toni for the beautiful altar. Shout-out and love to Ms Lorelei, who was sick and unable to join us, but her banners graced the space, as always. Joe brought percussion toys for sharing. It was big fun to watch Alan Tauber groovin’, and to have Dave Curry holding it down on the wing. Oh, it’s hard to mention names and be sure that I will leave someone out, but so much of my joy that night came from looking around and watching people in their ecstatic bliss. Here are some more: Sue and Bobby, Annie, Shyla, Kb, Sue B from Vermont, Frank, A Michelle, Clearwater, Cwellan, and many others whose names I do not remember now but whose smiling faces stay with me.
Someone made a joke that this should be “the First Annual Last Drum and Dance.” No doubt people turned out because this was the last one. At least the last one in this incarnation. Maybe we will hold another drum and dance event in Cambridge sometime. But we are more likely to organize something out in Concord, where we live and where there are quite a few drummers around that we know of. I don’t know what is coming next, and that’s ok. For now I will treasure the memory of the faces in the circle on Saturday, the mass of bodies on the dance floor, the grooving rhythms that got louder and softer, faster and slower, simpler and more complex in cycles throughout the night, and the last sweet, enveloping “om.”