Sony Centre Presents Tao Japanese Drummers, 3/30
By: Kelsey Denette Mar. 27, 2012
On Friday, March 30, 2012 TAO JAPANESE DRUMMERS will hit the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts with their show featuring a fusion of Japanese drumming and martial arts. TAO JAPANESE DRUMMERS has been seen by five million people in 17 countries and were invited to perform at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The Sony Centre For The Performing Arts recently announced an exclusive opportunity for audiences to experience the art of Taiko Drumming with an intimate workshop and lecture demonstration, for a $20 add-on to the original ticket price, by local Japanese drumming group Nagata Shachu. Prior to the TAO performance, Nagata Shachu will provide insight to the art of Taiko drumming, its historical relevance and perform their own unique Taiko rhythms at 6:15pm on the Lower Lobby Stage.
TAO JAPANESE DRUMMERS is a company of 16 highly disciplined male and female martial arts drummers trained in traditional Japanese percussion. Throughout their combative performances, TAO fuse martial arts and music with their skillful drumming and intricate choreography based on the traditions and culture of the Samurai. TAO uses a series of instruments from drums to harps including massive Wadaiko Drums weighing 400kg with a circumference of 1.70 metres.
TAO performers each bring contemporary flair to the group by drawing on their diverse backgrounds such as punk rock and gymnastics. They offer a young and vibrantly modern take on a traditional art form with their athletic bodies and contemporary costumes creating explosive Taiko drumming and innovative choreography with extraordinary precision, energy and stamina.
SONY CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, Toronto’s first performing arts centre, has played a defining role in the cultural life of Toronto for more than 50 years. Today, the newly renovated Sony Centre is home to a roster of national and International Artists that reflect the diversity and sophistication of 21st century Toronto. In addition, the Sony Centre is dedicated to developing Toronto’s younger audiences through family programming, workshops targeted towards school-aged audiences, an under-30 membership program, and other community initiatives including an international culinary experience. www.sonycentre.ca
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