CulturalFest Countdown: Meet Taiko Kai
This year's CulturalFest Performance Showcase will feature 10 performing artists from around the world on the Meany Hall stage. Read on to learn more about one of this year’s performers, Taiko Kai, and watch them on the big stage on February 25!
How did your group begin? Tell us a little bit of your story.
Taiko Kai was founded by sisters Kim and Kellie Matsudaira. Armed only with their taiko experience (and help from their other sister Jaymi), the two created the club in 2013. They made all of our drums, equipment, and costumes by themselves--and taught new members how to play! Since then, we've grown from the three sisters to a club with over 30 members.
What do you hope the audience will take away from your performance? What do you hope they will learn about the culture(s) that your performance represents?
What makes taiko really unique is how infectious the energy is. We always have a lot of fun performing for people, so we hope that the audience enjoys it too!
What has performing in past CulturalFests meant to you? What can the audience expect to be different this year?
CulturalFest is the most professional performance that we do as a group, so we're all really excited about that. It's also fun to share taiko and see the rest of the performing groups, too. This year we'll be playing a new song called Bamboo Forest! It has a lot of arm choreography that our other pieces don't have, so it's pretty different from our other pieces.
Is there anything else you would like people to know about your performance?
All of the members who are performing had zero taiko experience when they first joined, except for one! If you're interested in learning how to play, message us at our Facebook page!
Join us for our celebration of the diversity and talent that international students bring to our community!
CulturalFest Ticket Information:
General admission tickets are on sale now for $15 online or at the door. Discounted student tickets are available for $10 in advance at the FIUTS office (HUB 206).