Temperatures outside Fox Valley Unity Church in Batavia hovered around zero on a recent Saturday evening. Inside, though, the rhythmic pounding of drums made the moment seem positively tropical.
That was the point of “Dead Winter Drumming,” a drum circle sponsored by the church as an ecumenical spiritual exercise. “We’ve done a few drum circles in spring and summer but we wanted to do one in the dead of winter to get people out of the house and get their energy levels up,” said event organizer Dwight Polglaze.
Polglaze succeeded beyond his expectations, drawing more than twice the 40 people he expected. Dozens of area residents–and a few out-of-towners–gathered in the sanctuary with a wide variety of rhythm instruments. While West African djembe drums and flat Native American drums proved popular, participants also brought or borrowed bongos, Irish bodhrans, snare drums, maracas and South American rain sticks.
Drum circle leader John Yost used the metallic clang of a cowbell to keep drummers to a common beat. “Everybody is trained in the womb to respond to a regular beat,” said Yost, who founded Rhythm Revolution after earning a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. “My job is to help people listen to each other, so that the group learns to listen to itself. Once that happens, a circle will maintain the same beat no matter how many people are in it.”
For some, the drum circle offered a chance to get out and try something new.
“My son just brought me back some drums from India, and I wanted to go play them somewhere,” explained St. Charles resident Louise Baron.
Her granddaughter, 13-year-old Kayla Baron of St. Charles, said: “I’ve played on my own a few times but never in an organized group.”
Jay Driskell drove from Wildwood near Gurnee to participate. “I love the spiritual aspect of drumming,” he asserted.
“I’ve been to Native American powwows, and their drumming just grabs your heart and twists.”
Church officials plan to hold three drum circles each year, with the next one tentatively scheduled for June, Polglaze said.
For more information about future circles, call Fox Valley Unity Church at 630-879-1115.
