Kodo Drummers Of Japan Beat Their Way To The Palace 3/25

The Kodo Drummers of Japan are centered on the Japanese drum or "taiko." Since ancient times, the taiko has been a symbol of community-serving as a link between people, as well as a link between people and the heavens. On the "One Earth Tour," Kodo brings the sound of the taiko to the ears of the world, and with its unique ability to transcend the barriers of language and custom, remind us all of our membership in that larger community-the world.

CAPA presents the Kodo Drummers of Japan at the Palace Theatre (34 W. Broad St.) on Wednesday, March 25, at 8 pm. Tickets are $40, $30, and $20 at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (800) 745-3000 or (614) 469-0939. The Palace Theatre Ticket Office will open two hours prior to the performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 can purchase $5 High Five tickets while available. This performance is made possible through the generous support of Univar.

More than 35 years ago, a group of young people in Japan yearned for a new way to live. Disappointed with the direction of modern Japanese society and eager to rediscover traditional roots and values, they left their busy urban cultures and travelled north to the remote Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. The choice of Sado could not have been more fitting. For centuries, the island had been an isle of banishment for politicians, artists, writers, and others who found themselves at odds with the established culture of the times. The group also had a vision of creating a school where traditional Japanese performing arts could be learned by a new generation.

They found a home in an abandoned schoolhouse by the sea and began to play the world's oldest instrument, the drum or "taiko." Day and night, they expressed their hope, fear, joy, and wonder upon the taiko, learning its voices and ancient wisdom. To build endurance, they woke before dawn and ran long distances through the bamboo forests and rice fields. Surrounded by Sado Island's rich performing arts traditions, they began to study other instruments as well-the shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi. They explored dance, song, and stagecraft along with the taiko's limitless depth and range.

Attracted by rumors of a new, creative lifestyle that drew inspiration from traditions and the natural world, others soon came to join them, bringing more ideas and energy. Their numbers grew, years passed, and they practiced and trained body and soul. In time, Sado Island's unique culture, its four powerful seasons, and great natural beauty found expression in their art.

There was not only a primal fierceness and determination to their work, but a playful, child-like curiosity as well, a fundamental openness to the instrument's infinite potential. So they called themselves Kodo, which means "heartbeat" but also "children of the drum." They also discovered that the sounds of the great drum "o-daiko," carved from a single, massive tree trunk, lulled babies to sleep in their mothers' arms because of the great heartbeat sound. Kodo learned that the sound of taiko is felt in the body, as much as heard.

Kodo exploded onto the world stage at the Berlin Festival in 1981, and have since delivered over 3,100 performances in more than 45 countries from war-torn Croatia to New York's Carnegie Hall. Through constant collaboration with musicians, dancers, singers, and actors in several countries, Kodo relentlessly explores the limits of the taiko and the closely-related traditional Japanese performing arts. Their many recordings are available nearly everywhere.

www.kodo.or.jp

 

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