There's a discussion on TaikoForum that I started called "Representing an Art Form". It was my usual $@!%-stirring, trying to get people to think and respond about why they and others play taiko as well as look at what a potential audience might think.
Just recently, that thread went down a new path and spawned this post.
There are those in the taiko scene that feel that taiko is stuck or slow to evolve. There are very few groups that use different instruments or collaborate outside of other taiko groups. Costumes are usually patterned off of the happi coat, tabi shoes, etc., so that many groups look alike there, too.
It's been roughly 60 years since kumidaiko (ensemble drumming) has been around, so why isn't it more mainstream by now? Well, it's your fault. My fault too. All of us! Who's not writing the avant-guard music and jaw-dropping choreography? Who's not working with the top-tier artists to give taiko greater exposure? Who's not pushing taiko to the next level? It's us.
Now here's the thing - most taiko players I've met don't WANT to do that. A lot of them like what they do, without pushing any boundaries. A lot of groups are just happy holding themselves together! If taiko's going to get to the next level, a lot of people are going to have to take it there. It won't be just a group like On Ensemble or San Jose Taiko or Kodo, it will have to be individuals on a larger scale to make it happen.
When will it happen? I don't know, when are you planning to make it happen? ;)
Thought-provoking!
ReplyDeleteI'm a beginner studying with St. Louis Osuwa Taiko. I was thrilled to hear that the "tree-hugging" way this group plays "ka" isn't quite the usual way everyone else does it, even Osuwa Taiko -- it's the group's own style because the leader thinks it looks bigger and better. Hooray for improving on form. :)
The second thing I love about taiko (the pure joy and energy being first!) is the way it blends ancient tradition with more modern jazz and other things. I hope it always moves forward and doesn't get stuck too much in 1951.