Building Community Through Rhythm, Culture & Connection
Soul In Motion Players is growing its community-centered work in Frederick County through African drumming, dance, cultural education, mentorship, and collaborative partnerships.
Rooted in more than four decades of sharing the African and African American cultural experience, The Frederick Initiative is about building lasting relationships—bringing people together to learn, participate, create, and connect through rhythm.
One of the first relationships to grow from Soul In Motion’s expanding presence in Frederick County is our relationship with Ayanna Gallant, Aya Cultural Arts Studio, and the AyaBabas African Drumming & Spoken Word Ensemble.
Under the mentorship of Soul In Motion founder and Artistic Director Michael Friend, the AyaBabas are continuing their study of West African drumming while developing as an ensemble rooted in cultural learning, community participation, and artistic expression.
The relationship reflects something central to The Frederick Initiative: cultural knowledge shared through mentorship, experience, and community.
Soul In Motion’s connection to Frederick continues to grow through artistic collaboration, community engagement, workshops, performances, and partnerships with local organizations.
Community Collaboration
Building artistic relationships across communities, including original music and performance collaborations with Frederick-based artist Ayanna Gallant, founder of Aya Cultural Arts Studio.
Leadership Through Rhythm
Bringing participatory drumming to Leadership Frederick and using rhythm to explore listening, collaboration, and community connectiion.
Youth & Community Engagement
Our relationships with Frederick-area artists and cultural educators strengthen a shared commitment to creating opportunities for young people to experience African rhythm, movement, creativity, and cultural connection.
The Frederick Initiative is about building for the long term—developing sustained opportunities for artists, young people, families, schools, and community organizations to learn, create, perform and connect.
LEARN
African drumming and dance workshops, cultural education, and opportunities for people of all ages to participate.
CREATE
New collaborations among Frederick-area artists, Soul In Motion, community organizations, schools, and cultural partners.
CONNECT
Performances, community gatherings, and shared cultural experiences that bring people together through rhythm and movement.
We welcome conversations with Frederick County schools, community organizations, artists, cultural institutions, businesses, and individuals interested in building community through arts and culture.
Whether through a workshop, performance, community collaboration, sponsorship, or another creative idea, we’d love to explore what we can build together.
Soul In Motion Players, Inc. • Frederick County, Maryland