Director, Ryan Edwards:

Spanning nearly 20 years, Ryan’s musical education had led him as a youth from piano and classical percussion to jazz and funk drum set studies; from Eastern Michigan University to Boston’s Berklee College of Music; and from backyard hippie drum circles to the over-crowded apartments of African artists in the Bronx and Harlem. Along this path a consciousness about music began to assemble, an awareness made especially clear in a quote from past Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley: “Music has always been there, from the Jackson 5 to the Bee Gees, to either pour balm on the sores of those who struggle to beat the economic system, or as entertainment for those who have.” Ryan found this insight both encouraging and troubling…. there is music, that unifies us, but there is also a rift between the “have’s”, and the “have-not’s.” This new perspective inspired Ryan finally to sell what he could, save as much as possible, and follow his path to Africa, one of his first adventurous steps in spanning that divide. This first journey did nothing short of change his life; a bold new stage in a life dedicated to music, community and understanding.

Settling in Michigan in 2000 gave Ryan a home base. Once established, married, and newly a father, he charted out into the Michigan waters of rhythm, school programming and music festivals. Ryan founded Like Water Drumworks that year, creating an organization dedicated to teaching, performing and making drums. His rhythmical affliction beckoned him back to West Africa (each time to Guinea), where he began to lead groups of Americans interested in experiencing the music, movement and magic firsthand. He returns now every year to Illymanya (a drum and dance school he co-founded with friend and teacher Mamadouba “Milla” Sylla in Guinea, West Africa), a tireless pilgrimage of self-discovery and rhythmical enrichment that feeds him and a growing community of drum and dance enthusiasts. Like Water Drum & Dance came out of the community’s love of drumming and dancing, the same kind of love that often brings drummers and dancers around the world together. They all know it just isn’t the same alone – these drums call to the community, they plead for dancers, and they build and sing when satisfied.