Drum Tao Hits Ottawa

More than 9 million spectators have seen performances by Japan’s Drum Tao across the world in the 30 years since their inception. This week they made their way to frigid Ottawa to share their art form.

Drum Tao’s incredible performers create phenomenal expressions on the incomparable “Wadaiko” drums as well as beautiful melodies on Japanese flutes and harps. The troupe was established in 1993 with a dream of creating the best show in the world using Japanese Taiko drums. This instrument has a very unique variety of sound expressions. With their base in Oita, Japan, they create their own music, stage design, and costumes, to produce an incredible visual and auditory masterpiece. An all-ages crowd packed the National Art Centre’s Southam Hall and the anticipation grew as the lights dimmed and the artists took to the stage a little after 8PM. The group combined music and dance to reflect Japanese tradition, but also incorporates Korean, Maori, and Indonesian influences.

While some songs are traditional, most are modern compositions created by members of the ensemble. Most of the performers are male, with a few exceptional exceptions. They train in their own center in the Kujū Highlands on Kyushu called Grandioso. The strenuous physical demands of their performance style demands that all performers also train as athletes. They are toned and precise. Their daily workouts include a 20 kilometer run, calisthenics, martial arts training, and hours of dance, drum, and music practice. It is said that during the first ten years, 400 trainees ran away, after which the founder adjusted the training regimen.

Many of their performance pieces include only percussion instruments, and in some cases only taiko drums, but other pieces include the Shinobue, or Japanese flute, bamboo marimba, gongs, and the Koto, a horizontal harp. The most mesmerizing numbers involve seriously incredible acrobatics that make the most of the intricate costumes then men are wearing.

Currently, they perform 700 shows yearly as three teams; Team A, Team K, and Team S. It is Japanese entertainment for a new generation that completely surpasses expectations. If they come to a stage near you, don’t miss them.

MORE PHOTOS