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The thunderous sound of hands pounding the leather skins of drums and the rhythmic hand claps of the crowd took control of Petrena "El'tsah" Broden's body.

The exchange of energy between dancer and crowd was evident in her flaring arms and legs and the crowd's increasing cheers.

"You become one with the dance, one with the drum," said Broden, 30, of Takoma Park. "I thought the performance was powerful. It was great to be part of the history of Soul In Motion."

Soul In Motion started as an African drum and poetry duo in 1984 and has blossomed into a 15 member dance company. More than 150 people packed a small concert hall at BlackRock Center for the Arts on Saturday to show their support for the company.

"This is what gets me up in the morning," said Germantown resident Michael Friend, co-founder of the group. "You turn around, look and say, ‘Man, it's been 25 years already?'"

Friend, 50, and his sister, Khandi, began performing around Washington, D.C., in 1984. The brother-sister duo recited poetry over the sounds of African drums before crowds at schools, community centers and theatres, Friend said.

An admirer of African drums and theater, Friend and his sister began building the company with actors, dancers and more drummers. The company employs 15 people — eight dancers, five drummers and two technical support staff — and performs in more than 50 shows a year nationally.

Patina Strother, 24, of Takoma Park, said she joined Soul In Motion six months ago because of the company's "energy and the free movement" in their dances. Strother, who holds a degree in dance from the University of Maryland College Park, said the West African dances the company performs "came naturally to my body."

"A lot of dance organizations split after three years," Strother said. "I think it's a good thing Soul In Motion has been around for 25 years."

Jody Friend, Michael's wife and mother of their three children, said it's fantastic Soul In Motion has been around for 25 years, but it didn't come easy.

"It takes up a lot of his time," said Jody, who has been married to Friend for 21 years. "But we just support him because this is something he wants to do and is great at it."

Performing in front of people is something Friend has done since he was 10, he said. "As a kid, I was drumming with a youth company in Philadelphia," Friend said. Watching people move to the beat of his drum is what excites him and brings him happiness, he said.

"This is a life long work for me," Friend said. "This is what I was blessed to do with my life."

Soul In Motion fans and former members danced in their seats and patted their thighs with their hands to the sound of the drums Saturday night.

"I had heard about Soul In Motion over the summer but didn't get to see them when they were at the free concert series," said James Fincher of Germantown. "They're very good and mix entertainment and education to create an awesome show."