The First Women's Drum Circle (WDC) formed last night in Jacksonville Beach on the front lawn of the
Renaissance Healing Center (RHC) -- the perfect location for the WDC!
Thirty-five women gathered - some out of
curiosity, others
seeking strength in the connection with women, many
experienced drummers and belly dancers seeking another venue to drum, a few in support of my new and
exciting adventure, and
all attracted to the age old tradition and
universal connection of women and drumming.
The beautiful sky and ocean breeze were our friendly companions throughout the night as we watched the evening and the sun set to the rhythm of our drums.
Bridging our east coast beach communities of
St. Augustine to
Atlantic Beach and over the intracoastal to the
west beaches, was the
beacon of the drum.Recognizing the need
to share our energy and be the creative beings that women are and continue to be ,was my motivation for forming this
Women's Drum Circle and to provide a place that women could gather and join in the drumming community.
Thanks so much to the Renaissance's location -
rain or shine - we will have many more enjoyable evenings.
A few of the women gathered were
Jane Chadwick, president of the sawgrass women's club and
Joan Tobey of sawgrass; Debbie Young, local acupuncturist and full-moon drummer;
Carolyn Drazien of Funky Shui Divas Home Staging and Decorating;
Kate Cordell of Ocean Yoga;
Irene Farwell of New York Life; Jane Wade and 2 friends from St. A;
Lacy Norman-Belly Dancer and Pilates Instructor at RHC;
Heather Hixon - RHC massage therapist and yoga instructor; and, of course my drum circle collaborator,
Lynn Curtin - 'The Voice.'
That is just a few of the women 35 women sharing the glorious evening with me and the beginning of a new gathering for women.
I always knew
'THE RHYTHM METHOD' would take on new meaning to me at some point in my life!!!!!
And, we all redefined it last night as
we played our drums.
We enjoyed the Lacy's bellydancing and found that it is harder than it looks.
Practice Practice Practice in the drum circles in the future.
We hope more will be joining us in the fun.
For more detail you can contact me at 904-334-5290 or
marilynsonthemove@yahoo.comhttp://www.debbieyoungap.com/Carolyn Drazien (
carolyndiva1@yahoo.com)
http://www.oceanyoga.biz/
http://www.renaissancehealingcenter.com/nifarwell@ft.newyorklife.comhttp://www.journeyofthedrum.com/We're just keeping the Beat!
Bridging our east coast beach communities of St. Augustine to Atlantic Beach and over the intracoastal to the west beaches, was the beacon of the drum.
we played our drums.
http://www.renaissancehealingcenter.com/
(http://www.renaissancehealingcenter.com/) I held a Basic Drum Lesson Session for those women who expressed an interest in learning a bit about drumming prior to the start of the Circle.
The beat starts quietly and methodically and then raises to a crescendo of blended sounds filling the room with a beat of its own. Dynamic, exciting, spiritual, meditative, and thrilling.
These 22 adventurers and explorers must be mentioned -- they included area professionals such as: Dean Allan, our evening's workshops facilitator, drummer, and music teacher from St. Augustine; Steve Alvarado, experienced drummer and a part of the downtown drum circle; Debbie Young, Qigong instructor and Full Moon Drum Circle facilitator at the Jax Beach location; Mims Cushing, local writer/author and drummer; Michele Andrews, partner/owner of Palm Valley Gardens; Barbara Lutes, NIA instructor; and Andrew Carey, massage therapist and drummer/chanter. 
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Pink, Yellow, Turquoise, White, Black and more -- I just couldn't resist these 'perfect-for-summer' sandals when I saw them yesterday. The decision was a tough one -- which color? 
Ignore the feet and just check out the light weight, soft sole, no buckle, comfy sandals! and then, sit down when I tell you where I bought them and how much $$$.
Josh had our colorful kayaks laid out and ready for us when we arrived. After selecting the color and style of our kayak, we loaded our day's necessities into the 'dry storage bin,' and carefully stepped aboard. Slowly, Josh nudged each of us into the awaiting waters of the intracoastal. With our paddles in hand, we quickly found our balance and the paddling began.
