By: Jaylynn Lyons; Group 13

Walking into the event, I was overwhelmed with all of the beautiful colors and culture that radiated through the space. The energy in the room is fulfilling and the crowd’s expressions are full of love and happiness for the words and performances being presented. After the introductions, two members presented a beautiful poetic dance named “Where Do I Come From.” It displayed beautiful movements of the body and rhythmic patterns by the feet. There was dialogue in Spanish that illuminated the emotion of the dance as a whole. During the presentation, I was moved and invited into another universe full of inclusion and sharing. After the performance, they explained the importance of communication and how it can be presented through drumming, singing, and dancing. A beautiful quote shared by one of the dancers was “We all can drum, we all can sing, we all can dance.” They express how emotions soar through the rhythm and way the drum is played. They define it as a way of healing and portraying a story full of emotion. I was definitely enlightened by the performance and it was a great start to an amazing event.