Drum Circles
Drum Circles: Full Moon at UCSC
Jenna Bendett
Last night I went to one of the ceremonial Full Moon drum circles at UCSC. While I have been to many small drum circles since I moved to Santa Cruz, I had never been to an official Full Moon drum circle before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I could feel the vibrations as soon as I entered the forest. I paused to soak up the rhythms. The dark woods sent a chill up my spine as I made my way up the well-worn path. When I reached the clearing, the moonlight flooded the field; it was so bright the stars were barely visible. The gathering was farther back in the field than I had anticipated. I assumed I would know some of the drummers from other drum-oriented gatherings I had been to. I glanced around at the moon-drenched faces, hoping to find one that was familiar to me. I stood awkwardly as others danced around me, moving contagiously to the music. I swayed in time with the beat as I searched the crowd a final time.
Disappointed that I knew no one there, I made my way to the side of the group and sat down on the grass. I closed my eyes and listened as the sound of improvisation, cooperation, and timing radiated together from the center of the circle. When I opened my eyes, a couple was dancing in from of me, so infatuated with one another they barely noticed I was there. The moon cast their animated shadows on the grass. I would have been right there with all the drummers, creating music and excitement if only my thumb hadn’t been injured the week before. Instead, I sat content on the grass, simply enjoying the organic music all around me.
While to some it may seem unnatural to find a group of people gathered in the woods playing instruments together, to many this is a regular, if not habitual, pastime. The difference between a drum circle and other unnatural structures such as the Cat’s Cradle or other forms of human interactions with nature is that drum circles are temporary occurrences. While other structures may gain the disapproval of nature lovers due to the man-made items that sometimes get left behind, drum circles are unique because they bring unnatural items like drums and hookahs into nature, but they disappear as soon as the drum circle is over. Other unnatural structures host the same type of gatherings, such as the pagan rituals that sometimes took place at the Wiccan Circle, yet people who hold of rituals often leave offerings behind. Drum circles differ in that they can take place at any location large enough to accommodate a group of people and their drums, and leave no trace of human interaction with nature after the ceremony is over. However, some drum circles, like the one on the bluff above the East Remote Parking Lot may have a permanent circle of stone (see “Dome City”) or sacred clearing where they meet.
Drum circles probably have been around since humans first began beating on objects, perhaps to scare off animals or unfriendly spirits. UCSC has likely had informal drum circles since its beginning and has offered classes through the Recreation Department for many years. Arthur Hull, an internationally renowned percussionist who taught at UCSC for many years, may have first conceived and developed the idea of the facilitated community drum circle. He now travels the world training drum circle facilitators. Hull stresses the wellness and balance communal drumming can provide its participants. Now Don Davidson, a local drumming expert, teaches hand drumming at UCSC and still holds classes on Drum Hill high above the Monterey Bay.
Of course, no one needs a class to begin drumming; drum circles can be perfectly spontaneous, like those at Its Beach in Santa Cruz. At UCSC, it is tradition that on the first rain of the fall quarter, students on campus, usually initiated by those at Porter College, strip down to the nude and run (or walk, though walking is slightly more embarrassing) from college to college as students join the celebration. While most never make the entire run, First Rain begins in the Porter Quad when students feel the first night of rain in the fall. After a few short loops around the Porter apartments, the march is off, continuing down to College 8 and Oakes, back up to Porter, through Kresge, College 9 and 10, then down past the bookstore and up through Cowell, Stevenson, Merrill, and Crown, and finally back to Porter. Once at Porter, the collection of drenched but happy college students gather in the Porter Quad for a drum circle in the nude.
The naked drum circles and Full Moon drum circles show how humans can celebrate nature, respect the natural world in a uniquely human way, and still leave no lasting physical impact. I decided it was time to head home from the Full Moon circle and walked up to the circle of unfamiliar drummers. “Peace and thanks for the good vibes,” I said and everyone cheered. My eyes now used to the dark, I made my way home along the moon-soaked trail.
