Meet Kaze Daiko and Taiko Kai
Two local taiko drumming groups will collaborate for a not-to-be-missed performance at CulturalFest!
Kaze Daiko performing at the Chinatown/International District Lunar New Year Celebration in 2013
For the second year, the spectacular art of Japanese taiko drumming will be part of the CulturalFest Performance Showcase - and for the first time, the act will be a collaboration between two local performers: Kaze Daiko, a performing taiko group for youth and young adults, and Taiko Kai, a newly formed University of Washington student-led group.
Kaze Daiko and Taiko Kai play Japanese drums in a style that grew out of the traditions and festival music of old Japan. This modern taiko performing art blends rhythm, movement and spirit into lively expressions of joy and power, using ancient instruments to create new sounds.
Here's what these performers have to say about Taiko:
Taiko (Japanese drums) have been used since ancient times in court music, theatre orchestras, religious ceremonies, military battles and peasant festivals. The larger drums of the kind we play were primarily used in festivals and religious ceremonies to keep a beat for dances, singing and blessings. In the 1950's and 1960's, taiko players started forming percussion ensembles using large numbers and varying sizes of taiko, a style we now call kumi-daiko (group drumming) or wa-daiko (Japanese drumming).
Members of Taiko Kai
Many of our pieces draw on the rhythms used in traditional folk dances, while other pieces are inspired by Buddhist teachings or samurai sword forms. Our uniforms include hachimaki (headbands), happi (coat or vest) and tabi (split-toed slippers) representing the dress of workmen or festival-goers in old Japan.
Join us at the CulturalFest Performance Showcase and see these incredible groups perform live, along with eleven other music and dance acts from around the globe! Tickets are just $10 for students in advance, and $15 general admission and at the door. Get your tickets in the FIUTS office in HUB 206, online, or at the door.
See you at CulturalFest!
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