Taiko Ten
Saturday, August 30th
7:30PM
Taiko Ten Team
Production Manager- Sarah Ayako
Technical Director- David Cheetham
Concert Director- Nicole Stansbury
Venue Liaison- Ava Kovlakas
PERFORMING GROUPS
Torii Taiko
Torii Taiko cooks up a contemporary blend of dance, aikido, drumline, Afro-Cuban, and rock and roll influences, to make some taiko gumbo. They strive to honor the spirits of place, open hearts with their bachi, and move in practice, patience, and passion. Torii Taiko invites you to cross joyfully over to worlds beyond our everyday existence. Leave the mundane behind, search for the extraordinary, and dance!
In that spirit, you’ll first hear Mozambique (MO_ZAM_B_K) In 1965, Pello (PAYO) El Afrokan’s Cuban dance craze Mozambique peaked. But the rhythm lived on in other versions, including the closing number from British rock band Traffic’s final studio album. That’s where Torii Taiko’s Jon Whitsell fell in love with it; add some sizzle from the two dancers and drumline aikidoka, and you have Mozambique, Torii Taiko style.
The composer of the second piece says that as a young girl, she always heard, “ can you speak up?” and, “ I can’t hear you.” But standing in front of an Odaiko for the first time, she was inspired to embody the strength and depth of its sound. This original piece from Dyan Yoshikawa and Torii Taiko is titled: Can You Hear Me Now?
Mujō Dream Flight
MDF is the artistic vehicle of founding taiko artists Sasen Cain, Yeeman “ManMan” Mui, and Maxyn Rose Leitner. Together, and in collaboration with other predominantly trans/non-binary taiko artists, they create both original works and traditional adaptations. MDF’s art centers dance and personal storytelling informed by their specific cultural backgrounds.
Ojai O’Daiko
Ojai O’Daiko was founded in 2017 by Artistic Director, Gavino Takase-Sanchez. The group blends traditional drumming techniques with innovative, contemporary styles. They embody a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and trust, fostering an environment where creativity and innovation thrive
The piece they’ll play for you today, Kurui Daiko, was composed by Gavino Takase-Sanchez. Originally created in the early 2000’s, Kurui Daiko has since evolved into a visceral sound that integrates elements of North Indian classical music and West African rhythms. It has grown into a composition that feels alive, feral and unrestrained. It no longer seeks to express. It seeks to invoke. Enjoy the power of Kurui Daiko!
Lani Villanueva
From the islands to the desert (and across the street at Saboten-Con), Lani "Supa Lani-Chan" Villanueva (she/they) is an entertainer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and music educator. Their taiko career started a little "backwards" where they actually played the video game "Taiko no Tatsujin" first (along with their obsession with Dance Dance Revolution!) and then they started playing for real in June 2013 as a community group member of Odaiko Sonora. In 2018, Lani moved back to Hawaii where they trained and became a performing member of The Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and an instructor for Taiko Center of the Pacific.
Lani came back to Tucson Arizona in 2021 where they now teach band, choir, and general music at a K-8 school, serve as Managing Director of Tucson's comedy musical group "One Rehearsal Short", and provide music/vocals as a member of the cartoon-inspired music trio "The Key Frames." When Lani is not busy with music, they're either watching cartoons/anime, playing games on their switch, meditating, or napping!
Odaiko Sonora
Odaiko Sonora is from Tucson, AZ. Their performance today shares two pieces to honor the life and memory of Margaret “Hop” Hopkins. Hop was a founding member of Moab Dan and as anyone who met her will attest, she lived life to its fullest and encouraged others to do the same. If you visited her in the beautiful red rocks of southeast Utah, she’d remind you at the beginning of that day’s adventures: “We might die…but probably not.” With us in spirit now, Hop left behind an indelible mark on all those she touched.
The first song is River composed by Kaaron Jorgen, Lucy Curtis, and Hop herself. Inspired by trips on the Colorado, River takes us from slow, steady waters to the heartpounding rapids where we might die…but probably not.
Next is Tobu, written by Odaiko Sonora’s Artistic Director, Nicole Stansbury. Tobu means to jump, to leap, or, more appropriately, to hop. Tobu was written to celebrate the energy and life that Hop brought to the taiko community, and we hope that you feel a sense of Hop’s joy through this performance.
Fushicho Daiko
Fushicho Daiko celebrates the passion, focus and community of ensemble Taiko drumming. Filled with joyful celebrations, comic interludes and powerful songs, they bring the excitement of original and traditional Japanese drumming into full focus.
Their first piece is “Inanaki”, meaning Horse’s Neigh, written by Makoto Sekine. Taught to Fushicho Daiko by instructors of Taiko Lab in Tokyo, Inanaki is an exuberant ensemble song that showcases the group’s humor and connection with one another.
Their second piece is “Matsuyama Taiko Bayashi”, written by Hatanaka Kenzo. One of 14 songs Hatanaka wrote for the Ehime Prefecture, this song has been shared throughout Fushicho Daiko Dojo and performed numerous times in Ehime Prefecture, notably during the 30th and 40th Anniversaries celebrating the creation of Hatanaka’s Iyonokuni Suigun Daiko songs and the founding of Matsuyama City.
Puna Taiko
Puna Taiko’s mission is to “perpetuate the rich cultural tradition of taiko while reinforcing the concepts of individual uniqueness and interdependent teamwork.” To this end, Puna Taiko’s primary performance ensemble is the Youth Performance group, which is made up of drummers from up and down the east-side of Hawaii Island, with ages ranging from late elementary through post college.
First is Bonbop, composed by Sho'on Shibata, who is joining Puna Taiko on stage tonight. Bonbop is inspired by the common Matsuri patterns heard at Obon festivals during August in Japan, but infused with a modern hip-hop groove as well. Hip-Hop plus Bon Dance equals "BonBop".
We’ll be ending with Ensho. Composed by part-time Puna Taiko drummer Kaden Barba, Ensho translates to "Searing Heat" which pays tribute to his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada (as well as our host city of Phoenix, AZ!) Puna Taiko is happy to feature Kaden on Odaiko today, and even more excited that he brought along two of his groupmates, Jen and Cameron from Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko, who will be joining them on stage for the first time ever, in performing our final number.
