By: Allison Ballard
How exactly does a person become a taiko drummer when s/he lives in a region where no taiko exists? This is a question and a challenge that many aspiring taiko players face. Do they relocate families and jobs and move to some taiko-abundant community just so they can take taiko classes? Do they commit to a weekly 4-hour-or-longer commute to the nearest big city that offers taiko classes? Do they abandon all their responsibilities and leave everything behind as they pursue a vision of becoming a taiko drummer? Or do they deny the desire and convince themselves it is an impossible task?
None of these were appealing options for me when I vowed to become a taiko drummer. Because there was no taiko in Indiana, I struggled to create a cohesive plan of action that made any logistical sense. I finally gave up on some big master plan and decided the most important thing was to just start. I ordered some beginning taiko videos (back in the days of VHS) and banged on tires and steering wheels and furniture and my own body. I looked up information on the emerging internet (it was the late 1990s) and spent hours trying to emulate what I saw. And then I booked a plane ticket to the first taiko conference held in Los Angeles California. It was 1998 or 1999. I traveled by myself with a beginner’s mind and a courageous heart and the willingness to be ignorant. I learned early on that I had to be willing to allow for my own learning curve, to be willing to simply not know. So I stood awkwardly and moved awkwardly and played awkwardly and kept going back–at least once a year. I’d attend a weekend workshop and be saturated with so much new information that I could only bring back a small piece of everything I had been taught. Trusting that small piece must be the most important piece at that time, I would work on that small piece and teach it to other emerging drummers here in Fort Wayne, then go back again and bring home another piece.
It didn’t take long to realize that it might be more efficient if several of us traveled to these events. When we traveled as a group, we could split up and take different workshops and bring back a larger array of material. And then we realized it might be even more productive to host guest artist residencies and bring taiko drummers to Fort Wayne. By doing so, we could expose our entire group to new material without the added stress of travel. And then we realized all these different approaches serve us in different ways. Today, we still pore through DVDs and online resources. And we still travel to workshops and conferences as individuals and as a group. And we still host guest artist residencies bringing drummers to Fort Wayne.
This October we are excited to host drummers from Los Angeles-based On Ensemble for a two-day residency in Fort Wayne. This is how we learn skills and repertoire. This is how we grow as taiko drummers here in the heartland. We can’t wait to share what we learn!
Check out a sneak peek of Rotations, a live performance by Ho Etsu Taiko and On Ensemble, Saturday October 3rd at 7:00pm and Sunday October 4th at 2:00pm at the Antheneum Theatre in Chicago!
Tickets: $22-27
Antheneum Theatre
2936 N. SOUTHPORT AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL
773-935-6860
BOX OFFICE: 773-935-6875