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| 8/11/19 San Francisco Taiko Dojo |
Last weekend I was in Portland for a family event, which
included attendance at a fantastic taiko concert that was part of Taiko Jam,
a biannual conference. Included in the performance were San Francisco Taiko Dojo,
Kinnara Taiko, Kenny Endo and Taiko Center of the Pacific, and a special performance
by Kodo distinguished member Chieko Kojima. These performers are among the best of
the best, and it was a privilege to see them.
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| Kinnara Taiko |
Some of the most unusual and dynamic performances combined
traditional taiko with innovative, contemporary elements and costumes. While the drummers
and other percussionists are primarily musicians, almost all performers also
seem to be gymnasts or acrobat artists in their movements, which are the most
athletic of any musical performers I’ve seen. Cartwheels and tumbles are part of
the percussion! It’s thrilling to feel and hear the thundering and see the sheer strength
and energy they demonstrate as they pound away with thick, heavy drumsticks as
if they were slender reeds.
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| During brief interludes while the stage is being reset, actors provide humorous vignettes to keep the audience entertained. A Kinnara Taiko frog-like character is at right. |
I had a ball trying to capture some of that energy and
movement in my sketches. (I’d like to smugly note here that while photography
and video of the concert were strictly prohibited, sketching was not. 😉)
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These San Francisco Taiko Daijo drummers were
not really hitting each other...I just decided to focus
on their figures and not spend time
drawing the drums! |
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| San Francisco Taiko Daijo |
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| Taiko Center of the Pacific |
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| Chieko Kojima, in kimono, first danced improvisationally and eventually pounded on the large drum as a finale. To keep her long sleeves out of the way while drumming, she incorporated a dramatic scarf tying around her sleeves as part of the dance. |
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| This performance by Taiko Center of the Pacific included traditional shamisen and Polynesian dance. |
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| Taiko Center of the Pacific |
These sketches really capture the energy of the performers. I love the one sketch with the touch of color. It made me smile.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joan! The only reason I had time to put in that color was because they took a break right after that session! The rest of the concert was a blur of music and movement -- no time for color!
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