TAO: PHOENIX RISING Set for Marin Center, 2/9

From the mountains of Japan comes the world famous TAO: Phoenix Rising, a colorful fusion of martial arts, Japanese music, dance, and Taiko drumming. Performing at Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, February 9 at 7:30 pm., this virtuosic troupe has performed hundreds of sold-out shows to more than five million spectators. TAO combines the traditional art of Japanese drumming with spectacular modern effects that draw on each member's unique background that includes a rock musician, a gymnast, and a composer.

TAO performs at the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center Drive in San Rafael, CA 94903. Tickets are $45, $35, $25, Students 20 and under $20, Bargain seats (rows 25-34) $20; and can be ordered through the Marin Center Box Office at 415-473-6800 or visit www.marincenter.org

In their new production for 2014, TAO: Phoenix Rising, athletic bodies and contemporary costumes join with explosive Taiko drumming and innovative choreography in a show that has critics raving about TAO's extraordinary precision, energy, and stamina.

The 25 member ensemble both live and train at a compound in the mountains of Japan, reaching the highest level of virtuosity only after years of intensive study. Offering a young and vibrantly modern take on a traditional art form, each performer brings nontraditional flair to the group by drawing on their diverse background.

"Drum Tao's creativity must be applauded. They manage to create incredibly mesmerizing scenes with nothing more than well, drums. For example, a scene that involved an imaginary game of table tennis was absolute genius." (Popspoken)

Since 1993 when the company was founded, TAO has performed three times at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe setting a new record for sell-out shows, has sold more than a million copies of their CD's, and performed in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. That same year they embarked on a 44 city tour of North American selling out all 50 performances. In 2013 they celebrated their 20th anniversary.

Photo courtesy of CAMI