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Knock on Wood 4 Sunday, November 21st, 2010

WOW!!!!! What an awesome performance we gave at the Library theater. We almost sold out and the crowd loved us. Our group had such cohesion and energy and we had alot of FUN Tammy played the violin and Kelly joined us to do a Fire dance.

Everyone contributed their own unique abilities to make the concert exciting and powerful. We did alot of things we had not done before. We had interludes, monologues, dances and chants.

We had a great crew that helped with drums, set up and strike. Thanks to Abbey, Dave, Sadie, Eric, Alex, and Kelly for pitching in. We also want to thank all the other volunteers who we could not have had a great show without.

Now we get to start planning next years performance………

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Cohesion, Collaboration and Performance Saturday, October 16th, 2010

As we get ready for the Knock on Wood performance, there are many things going on. We are having extra meetings, practices and working on new songs and rearranging old ones. As anyone who has ever been involved with a performance knows, there are many behind the scenes things to do. We are working on the props to decorate the stage, coordinating volunteers to sell tickets and move drums, costumes for each song, and practice, practice, practice……..

This can be a stressful time or it can bring a cohesion to the group. And it can be a mixture of both. We draw on each other’s strengths and use that to our advantage. Where one person is weaker, usually someone else can step in and take up the slack. That is what makes a group stronger. It is also a gift in our group that it is a collaborative effort to put this show together. Each one of us contributes what we are comfortable with and we all take a risk to do a little something out of our comfort zone. After all, taiko is a way of life that stretches our bodymind and helps us grow.

I hope you all come to witness our next Knock on Wood at the Fort Wayne Allen County Public Library, Main Branch Theatre, Saturday, November 20 @ 7 p.m. It will be a great show!!!!!

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Tags: cohesion, collaboration, performance, taiko

KIAI,KIAI,KIAI Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Kiai is a shout used to channel energy and encourage other performers.

Fort Wayne Taiko recently performed at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis and the Taste of the Arts in downtown Fort Wayne. Our next performance is Saturday, September 12 at the West Central Neighborhood gathering at 12noon.

We performed Yamabiko using a lot more kiai and more drummer interaction. The crowd loved it…and we had a great time playing it for them. Both performances were full of energy from kiai that drew in the crowds as well as the drummers and made it alot of fun for everyone.

We look forward to Knock on Wood, November 20 at 7pm to continue finding our voices as Ft. Wayne Taiko drummers.

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2010 Three Rivers Festival performance Monday, July 12th, 2010

Fort Wayne Taiko was just at the Three Rivers Festival Art in the Park on Sunday, and boy, was it good. Between the great weather, the crowd of 500 or so, and the spectacle of the drums, it was a hit. Tammy played the violin, which was cool. and everyone did a great job.

Here’s a short, choppy video I took. Pardon the quality, it was on my phone.

I also took a series of pictures that look great. Some highlights from that:

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What habits do we get into……. Thursday, July 8th, 2010

It is very interesting the habits we get into when we play a song. We have played Domo almost since the beginning of our group. Beth and Jackie played it,solo, each having a side, at the first concert. It takes a lot of strength and endurance to play in the high horizontal position. We are finding that out, even more, as we learn John Yost’s piece he taught us in February. Since that concert, to date, everyone in the current performing group knows this song and we can play it with whoever is there at a performance. Because this song is an echo and someone has to lead with part one of the song, somehow, Beth has been on the part one side frequently. So frequently in fact that it has become a habit that ‘Beth’s side is leading’ even when she isn’t there!

We even get into habits about where we stand, who we are next to and how the song is arranged. So much so, that sometimes we have a hard time remembering the song if the anchor we look to for that song is different, be it placement, where the audience is and even who is playing the song. Flexibility is very key in taiko. What habits do you get into??

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Tags: echo, habits

Keeping an Even Rhythm Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

One challenge to drumming, of any style, is to have a balanced strike. Not so easy when most of us have one dominant side that is clearly stronger than the other. So here are a few tips:

1) Practice SLOWLY. You can really listen and work to match the sound between both hands when you go slowly. Then gradually speed up. Stop again when you hear a gallop instead of an even rhythm. This can be painful but so effective.

2) Do more tasks with your non-dominant hand. Try buttoning your buttons, opening doors, zipping zippers, brushing your hair or teeth, or retrieving objects from your taiko bag with your non-dominant hand. Stick with it even though it feels foreign and you will hear the results.

I was reading an exerpt to my family from the book Children of the Drum, the Life of Japan’s Kodo Drummers by Mark Coutts-Smith. Training with Kodo involved eating with chopsticks with the non-dominant hand. My 10 y/o son remembered that and asked me at dinner last night if I was going to eat with my left hand. Share with people what you are doing and they are great at keeping the intention alive.

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Tags: Children of the Drum, Drumming skills, Kodo, Mark Coutts-Smith, non-dominant hand, playing evenly

San Jose Taiko Intensive Training Monday, May 24th, 2010

Allison and Laura will be training this week in San Jose, California. I have never been to California and am looking forward to going. Libby has been working with us to train from our core so we can increase our endurance. Thanks Libby!! We are looking forward to some extra training and of course bringing back new material and ideas to incorporate into our work. Off we go!!!!:) SOOORRREEEE!!!!!

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Tags: san jose taiko, taiko training

Camp Jenee Monday, May 24th, 2010

We had so much fun drumming with these women and men. The energy from this group of people was uplifting and inspiring. Thank you Mary Rieki and Don Armstrong for inviting us. One of our newer members, Tammy, played backup to songs she hadn’t played before. She was awesome!!!!!!! She held our group together like she had been doing this forever. GREAT JOB TAMMY!!!!

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Tags: camp jenee, taiko

TaikoProject Is Superb! Saturday, April 17th, 2010

ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are not enough superlatives to describe the experience of watching TaikoProject perform! They are so skilled, polished, funny, humble and delightful. I need to get to bed to be ready to perform tomorrow, and I keep reliving the performance. Holy smokes! If you missed them today, be sure to catch them at the Cherry Blossom tomorrow. I know I’m gonna watch again! Thanks so much to Fort Wayne Dance Collective for bringing Maz, Brian, Jen, Courney, and the whole gang to Fort Wayne!

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Manchester College Performance 4/11/2010 Sunday, April 11th, 2010

We were delighted to perform at Manchester College’s International Fair today. The event organizers were so helpful to us. The audience was very appreciative. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Special note of appreciation to Jackie Hinsey for her leadership today. You rock, sista! Here’s a sample of our work today – Tobimas (“Leap”) and then Streaming.

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