Jorgensen Center Presents 'Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming' 3/16

Athletic bodies and contemporary costumes meet explosive traditional taiko drumming and innovative choreography on the Jorgensen stage on Tuesday, March 16, at 7:30 pm. "Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming" has critics waxing lyrical about the group's extraordinary precision, energy, and stamina. Time Out calls the show "powerful, dynamic and unique," and the Chicago Tribune says the performers are "extraordinarily talented ...[with] incomparable muscular zeal" as they bring a non-traditional flair to the heritage of Japanese drumming.

At a compound in the mountains of Japan the members of Tao live and engage in incredibly intensive study of physical strength, mental discipline and skill development before reaching the highest level of virtuosity. However, each of these performers brings a nontraditional flair to the group by drawing on their diverse backgrounds: one as a hard rock musician, another as a gymnast, and yet another as a composer. They offer a young and vibrantly modern take on a traditional art form.

The Japanese taiko drum is a simple, traditional instrument with the world's greatest sound pressure that conceals infinite possibilities. Tao brings together a highly skilled technical staff and produces a show with a meticulous eye for detail and performance mastery, taking taiko from its confines of being the successor of Japan's traditional culture and developing a totally new genre of entertainment.

"Tao" melds the rhythm of an opera with a melody that summons images of classic landscapes to give a performance with the sophistication of a musical. The drummers' preeminent skills enthrall their audiences with graceful movements that sometimes seem to be a dance with the drum and sometimes purely a beautifully glamorous performance. This is a totally new genre - a mix of drum, dance and musical. With the music sounding at one moment like a song, at another moment like a story, it is natural for audiences to visualize the beautiful Japanese landscape in response. Tao revives the almost forgotten innocence hidden deep in the hearts of all. The skill of the performers stimulates the senses, permeates the soul and provides a global connectedness to everyone.

See Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets are $25, $27 and $30, with some discounts available. Call the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, at 860.486.4226, or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Enjoy free, convenient parking across the street in the North Garage.

Since its opening concert, featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra, on Dec. 6, 1955, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts has presented the communities of eastern New England with the best the world of the performing arts has to offer, from world-renowned masters to rising stars. By hosting a wide range of performing arts, including full-scale international orchestras, chamber quartets, dance companies, soloists, and theatrical productions, Jorgensen fulfills its missions as an integral part of the University of Connecticut's commitment to teaching, research, and public service.

To post a comment, you must register and login.