TERRANCE WILLIAMS AND THE DRUM & DANCE GROUP
By Harrison J. Bahe
If you ever find yourself perusing the halls of the Fort McDowell Recreation Center on a Wednesday or Thursday evening, you may hear the rhythmic beat of a pow wow drum echoing down its halls. You may wonder if you are experiencing some sort of Indigenous existential crisis or if the ancestors are sending you a vision from long, long ago. Don’t worry. Your life isn’t in shambles, and you are very much still in the year of our Creator, 2026. That repetitious drumbeat (one that could send chills down anyone’s spine) paired with an equally powerful voice is none other than community member Terrance Williams and his Drum & Dance Group.
The Drum & Dance Group meets every Wednesday and Thursday evening at the Fort McDowell Recreation Center and is hosted by Williams. The purpose of the group is to engage local youth in learning the Yavapai language, singing traditional pow wow songs and practicing traditional dancing. This reporter recently attended one of Williams’ group meetings and was thoroughly entertained by what he had prepared for the young participants. Here is what I witnessed.
The Drum & Dance Group began with neither drumming nor dancing, but rather with a game of Yavapai bingo. The youth sat around the circular table in the middle of the room and were each given a bingo card featuring amusing caricatures of animals, each paired with a specific color. Williams would randomly draw a card, replacing the traditional letter-and-number combinations found in regular bingo with an animal and a color. Williams would then say the corresponding animal and color in Yavapai, and the players had to determine which animal and color he had called. Many of the youth in attendance were able to figure out the Yavapai words through memory and deduction. Amusingly, instead of using traditional bingo daubers, the youth used beans as markers for their cards.
Once the game concluded and the winner was awarded a piece of candy from the prized burden basket, it was time for the next activity: the drum and dance portion of the Drum & Dance Group. The boys grabbed their drumsticks and gathered around the drum while the girls attached jingle bells to their arms and legs. Williams, with his powerful voice, led the group in singing and drumming. The boys followed along with the beat, though they were a little bit more timid about singing out loud. Rather than strictly following traditional dance steps, the girls took a more personalized, freestyle approach. They embraced the music and danced their little hearts away. This reporter could clearly see how the freedom of expression through dance allowed the girls to release some pent-up energy. Hand in hand, they leapt across the room as wide grins spread across their faces.
Once the class concluded, Williams took some time to share the story behind the genesis of the Drum & Dance Group with this reporter. During his own youth, Alvis Robertson, the Substance Abuse Counselor at Wassaja Family Services, hosted regular drum group sessions for young people. Williams attended those gatherings and fondly remembers the traditional teachings and life lessons that came with them. Those experiences helped steer Williams toward a better and brighter future, and today, he hopes to provide that same opportunity for the next generation of Yavapai youth. Williams wants to teach young people the Yavapai language, help them express themselves through traditional music and dance, and, of course, give them an opportunity to have some fun along the way.
After witnessing the group firsthand, this reporter can see that Williams’ mission is already being fulfilled. In many ways, he is following in the footsteps of Alvis Robertson by creating a space where youth can learn, laugh, connect with one another and experience their culture. If you are interested in having your child attend Williams’ Drum & Dance Group, feel free to stop by the Fort McDowell Recreation Center on Wednesday evenings from 4PM to 5PM or Thursday evenings from 5PM to 6PM. Be prepared to play some Yavapai bingo, learn some Yavapai language, sing pow wow songs, dance and, of course, enjoy some pizza. We’ll be seeing you at the next Drum & Dance Group meeting!
