Drum Circle at Malcolm X Park, DC

Years ago I would occasionally drum and even dance here in the park. During the warmer months people gather every Sunday afternoon as they have been since the 1950s. It had been a couple of years for me and I'm still amazed at how wonderfully it all comes together. So many percussionists in sync, feeling one another, and driving the beat.

This day I was particularly struck by the dancers--especially two. One woman, for me, characterized the strength and power of the Vodou lwa Ezili Dantò; the sensuous fluidity of the other woman was the river's flow--Oshun.