April 23 @ the Cultch

Uzume TAiko

Trent
he last thing you expect to
hear at a Japanese drum
ming show is bagpipes, but
then, the Uzume Taiko
ensemble has never held to the art of
Taiko in its purest form. The core group
of the ensemble, composed of Bonnie
Soon, John Endo Greenaway and
Boyd Seiichi Grealy, blends elements
of modern dance and Canadian
sensibilities with Japanese drumming.
Add to that a rotating blend of perform-
ers—this night it was Afro-Latin
drumming guru and ensemble regular
Albert St. Albert, and Michael O’Neil, a
highland piper/new music composer/
Gamelan aficionado—and the intimate
confines of the Vancouver East
Cultural Centre, and you have one of
the best shows this year.

The new show depends less on
Uzume’s own theatrics—it is only in
the second set that they began the
whirling dance within a triangle of
drums that they have become famous

 

for—and a little more on
their friends, as breaks
between songs consisted of
mime, myth and magic from
Gerardo Avila (of Snake in
the Grass Moving Theatre) and a
performance of Strathcona Park by the
Paula Ross Dancers.

This was a homecoming of sorts for
Uzume Taiko, as they are celebrating
their fifth year together. And they
couldn’t be happier about it. At least
not on stage, where the five members
exchanged coy glances, grinning from
ear to ear.

The ensemble formed and reformed
into various permutations throughout
the show, depending on what a piece
called for. For some songs, it was only
the three taiko drummers. For others, it
was taiko plus Albert St. Albert on hand
drums, or O’Neil on bagpipes or
pennywhistle, and one piece—a new
composition by O’Neil— called for two
taiko drummers, hand drums, and two
bagpipes (the ensemble was joined by
guest piper Matthew Welch).

Fashion Show on the Douglas Concourse

Work IT GiRL!

Andrew Carroll

 

The Douglas College concourse was
all abuzz with chat on Friday April 25.
The Fashion Show, dubbed “25 Up,”
was in celebration of the Douglas
College Student Society's 25th
anniversary. The show started out with
wine and cheese. The topics of
discussion occupying student society
members were mainly concerning
politics, both student society and
federal. Finally, the lights went down,
the spots shone on the steps of the
concourse as the first models stepped
out.

The clothes were wearable and not
too outrageous. The choreography
was well put together. The models

walked down the ordinary gray con-
crete steps with flair. Although most of
the models were not professional they
definitely had talent for what they did.
There was also some very campy
humour at the end of the show with
Elliot, one of the male models walking
up the steps with his hand on the other
male model’s behind. Most Fabulous!
After the show there was a post
show dance in the cafeteria which had
a huge turnout. A drastic change from
the last DCSS social (the Post Cards
from Paris Dance). The party lasted
right to 1 am in the morning. Darryl
Flasch, the executive producer, did an
excellent job of organizing and making
this event a great evening for all. The
post show party was a huge success.

    

OP File Photo

Uzume Taiko spends a lot of time
playing schools and youth events, and
the piece Food, written by Soon, is
sure to be a definite crowd pleaser for
the pre-pubescent set. It even enter-
tained the mostly adult audience, and
answered that question that has been
plaguing mankind for so long—what
would happen if four trained percus-
sionists were let loose in the kitchen?

The Cultch is a small venue, and the
big drums radiated power, filling the
space with ease. And the different
cultural elements (Japanese, African,
Latin, Canadian, Scottish) blended
together seamlessly to create an event
that was greater than the sum of its
parts. This show is over now, but
expect Uzume Taiko to play at least a
couple more shows before hometown
crowds this year. @

 

Eric Milner Photo

There were door
prizes from
Starbucks, the New
£ Westminster Quay,
a. the cafeteria and

2 several other local
= businesses. @

y
=

 
  
   

Fashion 3 1h