By Emily Nichols

There was a bit of tension in the air of the coach bus en route to MENCAP, a facility for the mentally handicapped. It wasn’t that we were nervous to perform, we knew our audience would be very receptive, it was more of an anxious tension: what should we expect at MENCAP? All we knew was that we were to perform a program we had spent the past two days preparing for the people of MENCAP.

The last couple of days of the London theater class were spent in an interactive percussion, storytelling, and movement workshop hosted by Tom and Dawn of Instant Teamwork. In the workshop, we learned how to play a few different rhythms on African drums; Tom and Dawn even said we learned more rhythms than any other client they have had. By the end of the workshop we had all gotten the beats down and it was amazing to hear the power behind 20 drums simultaneously drumming the same rhythm; I had goose bumps every time!

In addition to drumming, we learned a few African songs and a dance. The singing and dancing stretched all of our comfort zones. The singing was unlike anything I have done before. In a matter of minutes, Dawn had the entire group singing an African chant in harmony. As soon as we all accepted that we were going to look a little goofy no matter what, we began to really get into the dancing as well. Again, I have never danced an African dance with its large gestures and forceful steps, but it was a fun experience. By the end of the two-day workshop, we had learned so much, the only logical thing was to perform what we had learned.

We pulled up to the MENCAP facility and walked inside with our drums in hand to find a room full of very inviting faces. We were warned that some people there did not have a sense of personal space and that they may touch us, but not to feel threatened. We set our drums up in a circle and started a simple beat.

I was not prepared for what came next.

As we drummed, the faces of our audience lit up as if what we were playing was the greatest thing they’ve ever heard. People started clapping, smiling, and moving with the beats. We finished our performance and opened the stage up to the audience. Eager to have a chance to drum, many grabbed an instrument and started playing. A great thing about the drums we used is that no matter how you hit them they still make a sound—so even though they did not have the correct technique, a sound still came out of the drum when it was hit. The simple act of producing a sound made people smile like they just conquered an enormous feat.

One of my favorite memories of being at MENCAP was when a man came up to me with a pencil and paper and pointed at my face. I didn’t know what he meant, but a counselor explained to me that he wanted me to draw my face so he could remember me. That small gesture was enough to show me that our performance meant a lot to the people of MENCAP.

We spent an hour drumming and dancing at MENCAP. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have always been involved in music and the arts, but I have never realized how much a simple performance can impact your audience. Our audience was unique in that they may not have completely understood why we were there or what we were doing, but they were entirely open to the experience.

The mood on the way back to the hotel was much different than it was on the way to MENCAP. We were energized and happy; it felt good to have performed something that we worked so hard on and to have it so well received. I could not have asked for a better end to the trip.