KODO: DADAN 2017 to Bring Modern Taiko Drumming to Aronoff Center

The Cincinnati Arts Association will present Kodo - the world's foremost professional taiko company which has singularly played the most important role in popularizing modern taiko drumming. The acclaimed company, direct from Japan, will present its newest program, DADAN, in North America for the first time. The much-anticipated tour will play the Aronoff Center's Procter & Gamble Hall on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 7:00 PM. The event is part of CAA's 2016-17 Season.

Tickets are $50, $40, and $30, and are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4157. HALF-PRICE STUDENT DISCOUNT: available in person at the Aronoff Center Ticket Office with a valid student ID (limit 2 tickets per student)

A pre-show performance by Cincinnati Dayton Taiko is scheduled for 6:30 PM in the Otto M. Buding Lobby (Loge Level). Cincinnati Dayton Taiko (CDT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Japanese style taiko drumming through performance and education. CDT performances are based on a traditional foundation, but emphasize the fun and community spirit of taiko.

Forging new directions for the traditional Japanese drum, Kodo will bring a display of their raw athleticism and rhythmic mastery back to the U.S. with this cutting-edge and ever-evolving production, featuring the men of Kodo in a bold portrayal of the essence of drumming through this vibrant living art form.

Simultaneously raw and refined, DADAN was created by artistic director and Japanese "Living National Treasure" Tamasaburo Bando. Simply meaning "Drumming Men," DADAN features only the company's young male members and is unique among Kodo's programs in its absence of singing, dancing, flutes, and female performers. Instead, this production exclusively uses taiko drums of all shapes and sizes, as well as other forms of percussion.

The climax of DADAN features a succession of compelling solos, and with each new drummer's relentless and rhythmic pounding of the hirado o-daiko (big low drum), the reverberations build to soul-stirring heights. The solos then crescendo into a round of rousing ensemble pieces, completely immersing the audience in sound as they watch the taiko soar to new levels. More than any other piece in the Kodo repertoire, DADAN simultaneously challenges the limits of the player's physical, technical, psychological, and spiritual talents.

DADAN saw its world premiere in Tokyo in September 2009, and its foreign debut at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, with four sold-out performances in 2012. The production toured across Japan in 2012 and was showcased twice at the "Earth Celebration" annual international performing arts festival on Sado Island. Tours of Spain and France followed during 2014, and in October 2015, DADAN was performed in Hong Kong - a first in Asia outside of Japan. The South American debut took place in March of 2016 in Brazil, and the 2017 DADAN performances will be its first North American tour. For a preview of DADAN, click here.

In Japanese, the word "Kodo" holds a double meaning. It can be translated as "heartbeat," the primal source of all rhythm. If read in a different context, however, Kodo can also mean "children of the drum," which reflects the group's desire to play the drums with the simple heart of a child. Since the group's debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, Kodo has given 5,800 performances in 49 countries on five continents (this figure includes 3,900 performances under the "One Earth" banner). The ensemble also participates in a wide range of projects and events, which includes headlining major international festivals, contributing to motion picture soundtracks, and collaborating with a wide variety of global performing arts leaders.

Kodo's members, staff, and apprentices live in Kodo Village, a 33-acre, self-contained section of the Ogi Peninsula on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan, isolated from the rest of the island's residents. Since 1971, Sado Island has been the home to Kodo, some of the most disciplined performers in the world, whose work and artistry transcends borders, genre, and time. In this beautiful natural environment, Kodo developed their extraordinary compound, devoted to creativity, education, and exchange, which includes a central office building, a rehearsal hall, residential building and guest house, a workshop, a recording studio, and the legendary Kodo Apprentice Center.

For more information about Kodo, visit www.kodo.or.jp/index_en.html.

Tamasaburo Bando is a leading Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated onnagata (actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. His theatrical directing credits include Romeo & Juliet and Kaijin Besso, and he has directed the films Gekashitsu, Yume no Onna, and Tenshu Monogatari. Bando accepted the invitation to become Kodo's artistic director from 2012 through 2016, and was recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Property Holder ("Living National Treasure") in Japan. In 2013, he was decorated with the highest honor - Commander - of France's Order of Arts and Letters.

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state's finest performing arts venues - the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall - and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.4 million students. Visit www.CincinnatiiArts.org.

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