Audience

What do you think the audience notices when they watch you?

I've had a lot of performances where an audience member has commented on something none of us gave much thought to. It could about a section in a song that gets little attention from us, or the tone of a bell we play offstage during a transition, or just about anything, really. The point is that none of us know what a audience member is going to notice/like/dislike.

The term "dead spot" is for when someone is on stage and putting out relatively little energy compared to others. Often that person thinks they're "on" but aren't showing it in their face, their body. And because the rest of the ensemble is able to project it, that person looks even more of an anomaly.

It's easy for us to watch our own group and give comments on a player or a section of the song, but if you really want to get an audience's perspective, you have to become an audience member. You have to go to other shows - not just taiko, but other dance and music shows - and observe. What do you notice? Are people standing out for good reasons or bad? Why? What commands your attention? What's distracting? If there's something that just doesn't work for you, what do you think they were trying to do?

The best way to respect your audience is to know what it's like to be the audience. When someone makes decisions based on what they think an audience likes, it bothers me when it's really what they want, but use "the audience" as an excuse. Is something really funny, or is it a inside joke that the audience may not get? Is a song really too long for the audience to sit through or are people just tired of playing it? Making decisions based on an audience full of you is a dangerous idea.

Never discount your audience! They notice things you may never have and they experience your art in ways you may never know.