I am with Cattur, Sarah and Aaron of Hamanah Drum and Dance, in a van piled high with djembe. We pull up at the Jody O’Shea Orphanage, Denpasar, and kids of all shapes and sizes come running out to meet us. A tiny two year-old with a shy smile leads the charge, and there is much giggling and excitement as they help carry the drums into a spacious garden adorned with colourful murals.
The free workshops the trio hold here are a highlight of the week and the staff and kids are soon gathered in a circle around Cattur who leads them into a formidable rhythm. I take some photos, then sit on the steps, enjoying the beat; until Sarah hands me a djembe and motions me to join in. Now my experience totally changes, instead of just listening to the rhythm I am helping create it, I am part of the circle. At first I feel quite self conscious and struggle to follow, but I soon catch on and my hands seem to take a life of their own. It feels great. The older kids play their drums seriously, but a couple of the younger ones get distracted and wander about, bopping along with the rhythm. One little girl falls asleep with her head on the drum, then wakes with a start 10 minutes later and gets straight back into it. Later, Sarah gets some of them to join her in a spirited, energetic African dance and they throw their arms in the air and leap around the garden falling about with laughter. It looks like great fun and I am tempted to join in, but I have discovered my rhythm on the djembe and can’t bring myself to stop.
The orphanage was founded by the family of Jody O’Shea who died in the Bali bombs, and the classes have special poignancy for Cattur, who is a survivor of the blast. Sarah tells me that the time they spend here is incredibly rewarding. “It’s nice to give something back”, she says, and hopes what they are doing will inspire others to do something similar. They are presently looking for a sponsor to provide 40 drums so that the kids can have something of their own, and be able to practice.
Cecilia who runs the orphanage tells me that she wants to build the kids confidence, but in order to do this they need to be happy. This is where Hamanah come into the picture, the kids clearly love the drumming sessions and Cattur, with his big smile and easy manner is a natural teacher. He is also one of Bali’s best known drummers and earlier this year set up Hamanah, with the help of his Australian wife Sarah. Hamanah is the African name of the doundounba, the three round drums that provide the heartbeat of an African rhythm, and translates as ‘Mission’ in Bahasa Indonesian. Their mission was to bring African drum and dance workshops to the island and Sarah says that they have had a “fantastic response”. Adding that, “The beauty of drumming is that, unlike a string instrument which can take years to learn, a drumming rhythm can be picked up in an hour”.
The benefits of drumming are far reaching and go well beyond the mere beat of a drum. It fosters creativity, while teaching cooperation, patience and coordination: Studies have shown that repetitive drumming changes brain wave activity, inducing a state of calm and focused awareness and can trigger the release of endorphins (the bodies natural opiates), thus inducing a state of well being which is highly beneficial in the treatment of depression, anxiety and loneliness. Drumming also provide an emotional release, acting as a channel for impulses that might otherwise become destructive.
A number of schools, recognizing the positive impact of drumming on their students, have signed up for weekly workshops and educational programs that include themes such as ‘Orang a rhythm’ which convey environmental messages through song and dance and give kids the chance to drum like orangutans. The community drum classes in Caggu and Sanur have also proved popular, as have the African dance workshops led by Sarah. It’s a high energy form of dance which she describes as “non sexy”, and “telling a story”, explaining that “In Africa there is no written history, so they tell stories through song and dance”. As of August, they will be commencing family-oriented full moon events at Echo Beach, with interactive drumming, dancing, fire spinning and bonfires. They are also regulars at the Sunday Sunset community drum sessions on the beach in front of Jalan Double Six.
I have always found myself drawn to drumming circles, without really understanding why. But I am learning fast. Sarah explains that “the magnetic force of the drum can be likened to returning to the womb”, where our first sound was the beat of our mothers heart and our first rhythm, that of her breath. Anyone who has ever managed to discover and hold a rhythm will have experienced the feeling of liberation it brings, and the sense of unity that joining a drum circle brings. Mickey Heart, drummer from the Grateful Dead, testifying at a Senate Special Committee on Aging, claimed that,” The drum circle offers equality because there is no head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness, to entertain and resonate, by entertain I mean that a new voice, a collective voice, emerges from the group as they drum together”.
Putting this theory to the test, I also join in the community class at Gateways in Sanur. This time the rhythm is a little more complicated and my self consciousness returns, but I play quietly and my mistakes are absorbed by the whole. When I am struggling to keep up, Aaron comes to sit next to me and shows me slowly, and suddenly it seems so simple. I am learning that when I stop thinking and start feeling, the rhythm flows naturally and what had just been a noise I was making on the drum has become music. It’s all about letting go and by the last half an hour I am pretty much losing myself, and am actually feeling quite exhilarated. My hangover has also disappeared – so I can add ‘cures hangovers’ to the list of benefits. We have learnt four rhythms and divide into small groups, each simultaneously playing a different one, which creates an interlocking rhythm and I have to say we sound pretty awesome. This shared experience has created a bond between us all and by the end we are all friends without having spoken a word.
Sarah describes drumming as “a non verbal and universal language, which has been used for thousands of years to bring people together”. This is the concept behind their corporate team building workshops which provide a fun framework for people to explore the way they interact with each other. As I have discovered, drumming is the perfect icebreaker and a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. While it’s individuals playing the drum, it’s the combined efforts of those in the circle that creates the music. True team building!
Cattur lives and breathes drums and his passion as a musician shines through. He learned the art of drum- making from his brother, a process that he describes as a meditation. It can take up to a month to make one of his signature drums and each is infused with his love and energy. The couple lived in Sydney for five years making and importing drums, holding workshops and performing, as well as selling clothes which Sarah designed, under their Rasta Gong label, before returning to Bali to set up Hamanah.
I first met them at the Bali Spirit Festival in May, where they partnered with Sibo Bangoura, a Master drummer from Guinea, and In Rhythm to conduct workshops; and for an electrifying on stage performance which totally blew me away. They also play at weddings, corporate events, fundraisers and parties. They will be organizing free drum circles and holding a ‘Rhythms of the ocean drum session’, a fundraising event for the Marine Conservation Group. They are also planning Retreats, Intensive courses, and community classes in Ubud and Kuta.
Contact: 081999906861/ 081999906862
Email: hamanahdrumdance@yahoo.com
Website: www.rastagong.com (under construction)
Classes:
Sanur Gateways Community Center
Drumming Wed 7.30 – 9.00pm
Desa Seni Village Resort Caggu
Drumming: Sat 5.30 – 7.00pm
Dance: Tuesday 5.30 – 7.00pm
