Curriculum Connections
Music, rhythm and percussion, storytelling, Japanese and Japanese-American culture and history.
California State Standards
RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
California State Arts Standards
8.MU:Pr4.2 c. Identify how personal, social, cultural, and historical context inform performances and result in different music interpretations.
Performance Description
TAIKOPROJECT's powerful drumming unites ancient Japanese tradition with 21st century American innovation to create a riot of movement and thundering rhythm. It's been called a tsunami of sound, but this highly charged ensemble is so much more. This show will ignite all of your senses with a spellbinding mix of music, theater and precision. Utilizing authentic instruments hand-crafted in Japan, the performers weave traditional and modern forms of taiko together and share elements of their Japanese and Japanese-American culture. The group received international acclaim when they became the first American ensemble to win the prestigious Tokyo International Taiko Contest.
TAIKOPROJECT was founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by a group of young, emerging taiko drummers, seeking to define a modern American style of taiko. The group maintains powerful traditional taiko songs and styles while also composing new music and choreography that pushes the boundaries of taiko artistry. Over the last 26 years, they have become America's leading professional taiko drum ensemble and a leader in the global taiko community.
“One of America's cultural treasures“ – The Getty Foundation
