Japanese Taiko To Roar CWU

November 15, 2004

Contact: Djordje Popovic (509-963-1687/fax509-963-3561/e-mail: popovicd@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - In a rush of spellbinding sound, ranging from dramatic and thunderous rhythms to soothing and pulsating tempos, Seattle Kokon Taiko (SKT) will come to Central Washington University on Friday, Nov. 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 p.m. in the CWU music education building.

SKT, a nine-piece percussion ensemble, performs a combination of traditional Japanese drum rituals and contemporary compositions. The group's 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 and 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. Because of that, Taiko drums are treated with the greatest respect: striking a drum becomes a form of worship and a responsibility not taken lightly.

Through their Taiko performances, SKT 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 performance is sponsored by the CWU Diversity Education Center, Asia/Pacific Studies Program, Foreign Languages and Philosophy departments, Office of Admissions, Office of International Studies and Programs, University Housing and New Student Programs, William O. Douglas Honors College and International Student Association.

The concert is free and open 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.