The Fort Wayne Dance Collective (FWDC) is pleased to present Fort Wayne Taiko’s fourth annual Knock on Wood performance on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 7 p.m. The performance will be held at the Allen County Pubic Library’s theatre, located at the main library at 900 Library Plaza in downtown Fort Wayne.
Knock on Wood will feature a playful collage of sound and images performed by a diverse group of local talent. The collection of songs will include traditional and contemporary taiko drumming pieces as well as original compositions featuring chants, body percussion, language and dance.
Pre-sale tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students 12 and under. At the door, adult tickets are $15 and children tickets are $12. Call the Fort Wayne Dance Collective at 424-6574 for tickets or information.
Taiko, which means “big drum,” is a drumming and movement form based on Japanese tradition. Taiko is played on big drums, skinned both ends and placed in vertical, horizontal and diagonal positions. In taiko, the movement is as important as the rhythm–drummers play rhythms with sticks using choreographed arm movements and/or while ”dancing” from drum to drum.
Fort Wayne Taiko, the only performing taiko group in Indiana, has provided Northeast/Central Indiana with taiko performances and instruction since 2000. Fort Wayne Taiko members have studied with Japanese taiko masters in California and have brought guest taiko drummers to Fort Wayne to teach skills and repertory to local drummers. A program of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Fort Wayne Taiko honors the tradition of taiko as it equally strives to integrate taiko with other art forms to create experimental performance art. Weekly taiko classes are offered at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective. Children’s classes, outreach programs and performances are available upon request. For more info, go to their website, FWTaiko.org. To see several photos from recent FW Taiko shows, including Knock on Wood 2008, see below.
Fort Wayne Taiko is a program of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. FWDC receives funding from Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Partial funding for this event provided by the Downtown Improvement District.
