Taiko, a style of traditional Japanese drumming, relies on a sense of connection. Such a connection allowed for the floor of the Nyumburu Cultural Center to rumble beneath people as they watched the Sakura Taiko Festival.
Three taiko groups performed at the festival, hosted by the University of Maryland’s Society for Interdisciplinary Studies of Performing Arts and Japanese American Student Association, on campus Saturday afternoon.
The connection began when taiko instructor and performer Mark Rooney decided to bring together taiko groups along the East Coast.
[caption id=”attachment_8933" align=”alignleft” width=”410"]
Rachel Sweren/PublicAsian[/caption]
“The taiko festival is my underlining mission to create more of a taiko community on the East Coast,” said Rooney.
“The more we can do this, the more we can create a core community.”
All three taiko groups — Nen Daiko, Kyo Daiko and Miyako Taiko, the group Rooney leads — performed in front of a crowd that grew to more than 50 people.
Many who sat in the front wore earplugs while the members of the taiko groups performed a variety of songs.
“You can hear the pounding of the drum, you can feel it in your heart,” said Jen Chiappardi, a taiko player. “You can feel it throughout your body; the movements are coordinated with the beat.”
Chiappardi joined Philadelphia-based taiko group Kyo Daiko after watching them perform at the museum she works at. Nine years later, she calls the group her second family and says the art form builds a feeling of community.
“We are in an age where we are starting to become more connected with different cultures and through social media we can talk to people all over the world,” Chiappardi said.
[caption id=”attachment_8935" align=”alignleft” width=”300"]
Naomi Harris/PublicAsian[/caption]
“But this is a way to show that we can bring communities together.”
Rooney’s first big-scale event at the university was a great opportunity to showcase Japanese culture to students, said Niko Schultz, internal and external representative of JASA.
“This is a good way to show people an aspect of Japanese culture they may have never heard of and it can expand what they know about the culture,” Schultz said.
Seeing taiko live can introduce another side of the traditional style drumming than is shown in popular media, says Tara Innes, a member of Miyako.
“I know a lot of people have a picture of taiko in their head,” said Innes. “It’s usually a really big, burly dude and a really big drum.”
The taiko groups used a range of different sized drums to create more sounds. At times the taiko players danced around their drum and struck the air in precise movements with their thick drumsticks.
Such precision appeared to rely on coordination for the performers as they played as one.
“I like that it connects people,” Rooney said. “I always tell my students to connect to each other and connect to whoever is the witness to what you do.”
The connections throughout the performances were clear as the taiko players waited on others to finish their solos or joined in at the right moments to create an even bigger sound.
With the sound came impact.
“Taiko is something that effects you,” said Nate Gailey-Schiltz, president of SISPA. “It really gets into your body in a visceral way. People who come here will leave thing they want to see more of this.”
D.C. resident Nicole Giaccone lived in Japan for two years and decided to attend the festival because she likes the effects of taiko.
“There is so much energy in the crowd, with people giving feedback to the groups. I just love the power,” said Giaccone.
“Even just walking into the building you can hear it rumbling.”
Featured photo by Rachel Sweren.
