My granddaughter, Shauna June King, loves to act, dance, and sing. She belongs to CMDE (the Center for Modern Dance Education) in Hackensack, N.J. 

The center has been non-profit since 1962 and believes that “dance is for everyone, including individuals with disabilities, youth at risk, older adults, and people of all income levels.” On June 6^th and 7^th, Shauna and her school participated in performances at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center. On the second day, Shauna performed a solo dance to the song “All the Way Up” from the show, Shake It Up.

Shauna creates her own choreography which takes many hours of rehearsal and always leads to a great performance! The second day closed with loaner drums for everyone, including the audience, and after a quick drum lesson we all performed in a drum circle. I was happy to take part. 

I’m used to doing something similar on Siesta Key beach in Sarasota, Florida, which takes place every Sunday as the sun sets. In Florida, there are many types of drums used, including the West African djembe, which was what we used at Shauna’s show.