January 23, 1996

 

Uzume Taiko

by Cynthia Ashton Styles

Three figures stand silhouetted
against a blue backdrop. As the lights
go up the three drummers raise their
arms, shout, and fall compulsively to
their drumming, filling the air with a
pulsating, complex yet primordial beat.

On stage are the members of
Uzume Taiko Japanese percussion
ensemble who are performing as part of
the Noon at New West series at the
Douglas College Theatre.

The range of instruments is
stunning, going from gongs and hand
cymbals to drums ofall shapes and sizes,
each with a different pitch. The
drummers are more like dancers with
their meticulously choreographed
movements, striking the drums with

Fpowerful arm movements, their legs

'»Wide apart to give them the support and
stamina needed for pounding drums -
some as big as a barrel - for more than
an hour.

The voices of the drums range
from high-pitched small drums to the
deep booming tones of the big barrel-
sized drum. These different voices are
combined in an intricate interplay of

*pitch, rhythm and syncopation, based
upon traditional Japanese drum rhythms.

An interesting point about this
ensemble is that none of its members
were actually born in Japan. Boyd
Seiichi Grealy has a degree in classical
percussion from the University of

 

Victoria and was born in that city. John
Endo Greenaway was born in London,
England, and was a founding member
of Katari Taiko, a Vancouver—based
drum group founded in 1979. The third
member of the ensemble, Bonnie Soon,
was also born in Vancouver, began her
performing life as a modern dancer. She
is interested in combining movement
and taiko drumming, something which
this ensemble does to perfection .

In a John Endo Greenaway
composition titled “5 to 5”, the three
drummers moved in a fast circular
motion between the big barrel drum and
two smaller drums, each drummer in
turn striking each of the drums — a feat
of precision made to appear easy and
artless, the mark of truly skillful
choreography as well as skillful
musicianship.

Since they often give school
performances Uzume Taiko has created
a theatrical piece aimed at children
which entails the dancers wearing fierce
masks and cackling with eerie laughter
as they dance around the stage. The story
is about the sun goddess who quarreled
with her brother, the storm god. The sun
goddess went to hide in a cave and the
local villagers, who were afraid their
crops would die without the sun, called
upon the goddess Uzume — a “heavenly
alarming female” — to come and get her
out.

 

Uzume began striking an upturned
barrel with a stick and the villagers
enjoyed the sound and joined in, the
noise bringing the sun goddess out of
her cave — hence the birth of Taiko
drumming.

The kids in the audience (from a
home-schooling group) loved the story.
As soon as the drummers had vacated
the stage at the end of the performance
four- and five-year olds swarmed onto

 

David Cooper Photo

the stage and started up an Taiko group
all their own, the tiny drummers beating
furiously but uncannily in time with their
drumsticks.

Uzume Taiko is looking for
apprentice drummers so if you have an
infallible sense of rhythm, love Japanese
drumming and are incredibly fit give
their manager a call: Louise Bentall at
683-8240.

David Cooper Photo

‘or the family.