From Liz Monnier, our Artistic Director:

Wow, what a weekend! It’s amazing the energy that our guest performers bring. My favorite moment was watching Maz perform their final number at the Cherry Blossom Festival.  I wanted to internalize the sensation of what he was doing…so intense, his whole body flowing with the rhythms and the look on his face, totally immersed in the moment.  I also think it’ s funny how many people I’ve seen air drumming!

From Mary Marino-Strong, a FWDC volunteer and patron:

Saturday’s TAIKOPROJECT performance was unforgettable! It was so fabulous. I had no idea that a few people playing some drums would be as great – nor did I understand that the drummers bodies are as much a part of the music as the drums themselves. It’s a joy to watch a performer who has reached a level of real mastery in his art, and their leader seems to have done that big time! I also enjoyed seeing them at the Cherry Blossom Festival. So enthused were we that we participated with FW Taiko at the Festival as well. Its leader, Allison Ballard, did a great job of creating a format that allowed even musically-impaired audience members like moi to play along. Great fun!

From Rob Mican, a taiko drummer from Chicago who came to see the performance:

My family & I drove down from Chicago specifically for this TAIKOPROJECT  performance. I’ve had my eye on TAIKOPROJECT for the last year or two, hoping they would eventually come to the Chicago area. This is the first chance I’ve had to see them live. “Awesome” does not come close to describing how awesome they were. My son & I have been playing taiko for five or six years now, and TAIKOPROJECT’s energy and passion for taiko are amazingly infectious. They love what they do, they have loads of fun on stage, and it shows. The way TAIKOPROJECT puts a modern spin on a traditional musical art is downright enlightening — I’ve never seen any other taiko group do what they do with their impeccable musical skills. Our new taiko semester has just started, and my son & I can’t wait to start pounding on the drums again.

From Allison Ballard, FWDC teacher and Director of Fort Wayne Taiko:

TAIKOPROJECT’s performance(s) this weekend was yet another life-changing event sponsored by FWDC! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This community is so fortunate to be blessed by FWDC’s progressive programs. A common quote in the taiko community is that taiko is not meant to awe, but to inspire….I am inspired and humbled and excited to grow as a taiko drummer. Towards that aim, FW Taiko has two drummers attending the Memorial Day Weekend Intensive with San Jose Taiko in San Jose, California and I will be attending the Portland Taiko’s week-long intensive this August in Portland, Oregon. As always, we look forward to bringing new skills back to the FW Community. I must say that playing at the Cherry Blossom Festival with Taiko Project in the audience was one of the more challenging and humbling things I have done in a while….good grief. But I am so grateful to have the chance to grow as a taiko drummer right here in Fort Wayne. FW Taiko welcomes people interested in exploring the art form to join taiko classes held at FWDC every Friday, 3:30 to 5:30. Come check it out! And remember taiko is a drumming and movement form–the movement is as important as the rhythm being played. Come prepared for a full body aerobic workout! And a load of exhilarating fun!

We also got a lot of media attention for the residency as well. Some links to see our press coverage:

• Dumming Japanese tradition by Steve Penhollow at the Journal Gazette
• Dance, drumming mix in ancient art form from the News-Sentinel
• A video at the News-Sentinel’s website at the Cherry Blossom Festival
• Drumming Up a Storm by Michael Summers in the Fort Wayne Reader

LA Weekly said of TAIKOPROJECT, “This ain’t your mama’s taiko, but it may be your hip, younger cousin’s”, and they couldn’t be more right. This company seamlessly blends fast- paced, exciting taiko with storytelling, music, hip-hop choreography, multimedia and dance.

In 2005, TAIKOPROJECT travelled to Japan to represent American taiko at the Tokyo International Taiko Contest. They took home the top prize, becoming the first foreign taiko group to win the contest. Earlier that year, they were featured in Mitsubishi Motor’s national ad campaign, featuring women in their group.

This 8-member company is in Fort Wayne for a three-day residency that includes educational lecture/demonstrations with schoolchildren, workshops for local taiko drummers and taiko enthusiasts, and will even be doing a demonstration during the Cherry Blossom Festival, happening downtown on April 18!

Reserved tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. At the door, tickets are $30. They can be purchased by calling the Arts United Center box office at (260) 422-4226.