Pictures from DragonCon 2001

Panels        Costumes        KT/KTL folks        Drum Circle        Misc.

The drum circle is fast becoming a favorite event of mine, and one of the very few non-Pern ones that attracts me.  Last year it was entirely unofficial, just a group of drummers gathering out on the patio at night and listeners and dancers attracted by the rhythms.  This year there was a mention of it in the program guide, and it was shifted indoors one night by the rain and the other nights by instance of the fire martial.  It was more comfortable indoors so I hope that tradition continues!

The first drummers trickle in as the evening starts to darken, with the full complement of nearly thirty gathered perhaps by midnight.  Not only do we have drummers, but this year at least a variety of flutes and pipes joined in along with a pair of dijeridoos.  I hear tell that the drumming goes much of the night and even into the morning, but never feel free to stay that late myself as I stay with relatives outside of Atlanta.  People are starting to bring their own drums with them just for this event, but also improvise - an empty 5 gallon water jug makes quite a good sound.  There's a great feeling of energy and vitality in the constantly evolving rhythms, which the dancers feel and reflect.

It brought to mind Moreta's mention of the wildly acrobatic dances by blue and green riders after the death of a dragon.  Although there were no acrobatics in the drum circle, the emotional abandon and sometimes frenetic energy expressed by the dancers fits well with what Moreta described.

You can see here just a few of the drummers that lined the circle, another one just arriving, and a couple dancers including Angel who's quite a fan of the circle managed this year to get me to dance for a while myself (quite a feat as I have three left feet).

Tina is a new fan of the circle, this being her first year at DragonCon, but Angel needed prod her very little and Tina shucked off her shoes and joined in the fun.

Before Tina left me for the dance we shared some catty remarks about a drummer who biceps we couldn't help but admire!

Unfortunately the true visual effect doesn't come across here, but the pattern made by the neon glowing sticks was a treat to behold.  This could easily be done on Pern, too, with some glows and twine.

It's hard to capture the true energy and effect of many dancers in a wide variety of costumes on film; these shots are as close as one can come to portraying what the circle is like.

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