ELLENSBURG, Wash. - In a rush of spellbinding sound - ranging from dramatic and thunderous rhythms to soothing and pulsating tempos - Seattle Kokon Taiko comes to Central Washington University on Friday, November 19, in what promises to be a mesmerizing finale to the 2004 CWU International Education Week. The internationally known ensemble of Taiko drummers will perform at 6:00 p.m. in the new CWU Music Education Facility in conjunction with the Inaugural Season Series.
Seattle Kokon Taiko is a nine-piece percussion ensemble performing a combination of traditional Japanese drum rituals and contemporary compositions. SKT drummers have been called "electrifying" and "entrancing" as they blend complex rhythms, with elements of theater and dance, in an extraordinary collaboration of sounds that leaves the musicians - and audiences - breathless.
Taiko is a dynamic synthesis of rhythm, movement and spirit with origins deep in Japanese culture and history. Taiko drums are believed to contain the spirits of all who contributed to the creation of the drum: the animal who gave the skin, the tree that gave the wood, the person who supplied the labor. When one strikes the drum, one gives voice to these spirits, releasing them from silence and giving those who came before us a new life. Taiko drums are therefore treated with the greatest respect: striking a drum becomes a form of worship and a responsibility not taken lightly.
Through their Taiko performances, Seattle Kokon Taiko hopes to contribute to the development of a uniquely Japanese American art form - Japanese in origin, American in expression - that weaves threads of continuity between generations and builds bridges of understanding among people of all nationalities and walks of life.
The CWU International Education Week's November 19th Taiko performance is sponsored by the Diversity Education Center, Asia/Pacific Studies Program, Department of Foreign Languages, Office of International Studies and Programs, Philosophy Department, University Housing and New Student Programs, the William O. Douglas Honors College, and the International Student Association. The concert is free to the public. For more information, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-1687 or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.
Djordje Popovic
Program Coordinator
Diversity Education Center
Center for Excellence in Leadership
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7448
Phone: (509) 963-1687
Email: popovicd@cwu.edu
