By Kevin Bracken

In our last report on Drum Circle, Toronto’s weekly celebration of drum and dance, one commenter lamented, “Its going to be a looooong [sic] winter without it…:(” Fear not, faithful reader, for the beat goes on.
Attentive readers may remember that the dreadlocks, wooden beads, glowstick poi and djembe drums that have come to characterize the event were causing grief for a pair of older residents near Trinity Bellwoods, claiming the event held in the park’s gully was creating excessive noise. One evening two summers ago, the circle found itself in a very Cherry Beach-like situation, and was exiled from its ancestral home by the police. Through an act of remarkable finagling and fundraising, the group was able to secure permits to have Trinity Bellwoods jams once a month, setting up base in Queen’s Park the rest of the Tuesdays.
Organized via a mailing list and website, the group found themselves with a major dilemma for continuing in the winter: drum for free in the Dance Cave but exclude under-19 participants, or colonize the Funhaus but charge admission. A fine balance was struck: the majority of winter drum circles are 19+, with the occasional alcohol-free, all-ages evening at places like Sprouts, pictured above. There is no word yet on whether the event will attain cultural status like Sunday Tam Tams in Montréal, but there is expected to be a drum circle every Tuesday for the rest of the winter.
The gathering returns to the Dance Cave next week. Grab your didgeridoo!
Photo by JaMmCat