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Percussion and Dance Show Otodama Comes to NYC, Dec. 2-11
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 27, 2005
Otodama (translated as 'Sound and Spirits') "presents a unique fusion of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming and American funk tap dance, using Japanese Taiko drums, African djembe drums, hand-held wooden clappers, thick wooden drumsticks and a samisen (Japanese banjo). The young, hip Japanese ensemble goes by the name COBU (translated as 'Dance like Drumming, Drum like Dancing') and is made up of seven women and two men, sporting dramatically dyed hair and a hard-edged attitude," according to press notes.
The cast is lead by the show's creator, Yako Miyamoto, who began her Taiko drum studies in Tokyo at the age of eight. She currently appears in Stomp as well as being a lead performer in the Peggy Spina Tap Company. Miyamoto is a choreographer for the international show Fire Dance.
CSV Cultural Center is a non-profit, multi-cultural, multi-arts center dedicated to providing opportunities for emerging and established artists in all disciplines. The center houses eight theaters, studio space for 70 visual artists and the offices of Bliseum, The Museum for the Blind. CSV was founded by novelist Ed Vega and actors Mateo Gomez and Nelson Landrieu.
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