Kodo 35th Anniversary DADAN 2017 Tour to Perform at the McCoy

Since Kodo's debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, the group has performed more than 3,700 times on all five continents, spending about a third of the year overseas, a third touring in Japan, and a third rehearsing and preparing new material on Sado Island. "Dadan," meaning "drumming men," is a performance that is simultaneously raw and refined, featuring only young male Kodo performers in a bold exploration of taiko drums of all shapes and sizes, as well as other instruments such as gongs and more.

CAPA presents the Kodo 35th Anniversary Dadan Tour at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts (100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., New Albany) on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $36-$66 at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

About Kodo

Exploring the limitless possibilities of the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum, Kodo is forging new directions in its vibrant, living art form. In Japanese the word "Kodo" conveys two meanings- "heartbeat," the primal source of all rhythm, and "children of the drum," a re?ection of Kodo's desire to play the drums simply, with the heart of a child.

In 1971, a handful of young men and women gathered on Sado Island to establish Sado no Kuni Ondekoza, a group that provided Japanese youth a way to learn traditional Japanese performing arts and craft. In order to support the group financially, the original Ondekoza members began to study and perform taiko, eventually taking the sound of the drum around the globe on world tours. Members lived communally in an abandoned elementary school and spent much of their time practicing the taiko and training to run marathons. After debuting internationally in 1975, Ondekoza emerged as a professional performance group that became highly acclaimed among European and North American audiences.

As time went by, many members began to feel that the philosophy and goals of Ondekoza leader Tagayasu Den no longer rejected those of the group. Eventually, Mr. Den left, taking the name Ondekoza with him. The remaining members reorganized and founded Kodo in 1981. Although performances became the primary focus of Kodo's activities, the initial dream to establish a center to study Japanese traditional performing arts and crafts was never abandoned. The ?rst leader of Kodo, Toshio Kawauchi, envisioned "Kodo Village," a creative space where Kodo members could explore new possibilities and interact with artists from around the world. In 1984, the One Earth Tour became the ongoing banner for Kodo's mission of bringing the sound of the taiko to the ears of the world, and in 1988, the dream of Kodo Village became a reality.

As the number of concerts increased, both domestic and international performances received the highest acclaim. More members with a background in music joined the group, and events such as Earth Celebration enabled more exchange with other cultures and musical genres. As taiko culture spread internationally, Kodo emerged as an authority in the ?eld and solidi?ed its identity as a musical performance group. In 1997, the Kodo Cultural Foundation was established to facilitate more educational and outreach programs.

Looking for new ways to explore the profound subtleties of taiko, Kodo begins to explore richer levels of stage expression. The Kodo Cultural Foundation supports both local and international activities through education and outreach projects designed to give back to local communities. In 2011, Kodo celebrated its milestone 30th anniversary with a special commemorative tour throughout Japan, North America, and Europe.

About Dadan

Dadan, meaning "drumming men," was designed by Artistic Director Tamasaburo Bando and features solely young, male Kodo performers in a bold exploration of percussion instruments. When compared to a standard Kodo performance, Dadan is unique with its absence of singing, dancing, ?utes, and female performers. This production uses taiko drums of all shapes and sizes accompanied by other instruments such as gongs and the Grangtang (a bamboo instrument of Jegog from Bali, Indonesia). It also features the performers playing the O-daiko (big drum), each facing the giant drum head in turn, allowing the audience to become immersed in sound as they watch each disciplined player drumming with all his might.

Dadan saw its world premiere in Tokyo in September 2009, and the success of the initial run led to its foreign debut in 2012 with four sold-out performances at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Following its success abroad, Dadan toured Japan in 2012, and was showcased twice at the annual international festival Earth Celebration on Sado Island.

www.kodo.or.jp

Photo credit: Takashi Okamoto