opening session... Johnny Mori served as master of ceremonies.
the north american taiko conference is held every two years during the summer. the 2001 conference was held at the japanese american cultural and community center in downtown los angeles... right in my backyard, so i took the opportunity to go! the event is three days long, friday-sunday (preceded by an intensive week-long taiko "camp" for those who have the time and ambition). the weekend is filled with a variety of workshops taught by various sensei from america, canada, and even japan. also, groups from all over north america and japan put on several performances and concerts, particularly the Taiko Jam Concert held on the saturday night of the conference.
i met a lot of people, played taiko to my heart's content, danced quite a bit too (several dance workshops are offered), and learned SOOO much about all that is taiko: techniques, equipment, history, current issues, etc... but most importantly, this helped me to "see" the american taiko community, and truly become a part of it.
for more information on the 2001 taiko conference and the upcoming 2003 taiko conference, visit the jaccc's taiko conference website.
opening session... Johnny Mori served as master of ceremonies.
the great Kenny Endo performed a solo piece in honor of the late Duane Ebata, a prominent figure in the japanese-american community.
PJ Hirabayashi, creative director at San Jose Taiko, also performed a solo piece in honor of Mr. Ebata.
performance out on the JACCC plaza during one of our lunch breaks.
Kurokawa Sansa workshop... this is an ancient folk dance from a specific area in japan.
our sensei Teddy Yoshikawa, one of the few "outsiders" who has been allowed to learn this dance and teach it to others.
taiko jam concert... Tsunami Taiko from seattle. apologies for the blurry photos, but they do look artistic in their own way!
Texas Tumbleweed Taiko... who would've thought! there are actually several taiko groups in texas.
Shasta Taiko from northern California.
more of Shasta Taiko.
another of Shasta Taiko. they were good!!!
Odaiko New England (nice website!) is based in massachusetts.
Los Angeles Matsuri Daiko... their performance gave me a headache. needs more "ma"! i felt like i was watching a circus!
Katari Taiko is based in vancouver. they were the first group in canada... now there are about 15 groups up there!
after the taiko jam concert, something always happens... you can see it starting here, with a trash can accompanied by a kane!
my fue (aka shinobue) sensei George Abe joins the fun...
we all started dancing... i think we started with the traditional obon dance "tanko bushi" and then broke into Ei Ja Nai Ka.
more dancing! i was dead tired from the full day of workshops but i kept going somehow.
closing session... sensei
Seiichi Tanaka imparts some wise words and comic relief (he's even mentioned on the Cracker Barrel website?!)
i sneaked a side shot of our group photo in the JACCC plaza... here is the
official photo.