Audio By Carbonatix
Japanese art forms are often characterized by their fluid organization and elegant simplicity — and the art of taiko is no exception. A type of choreographed percussion, the form involves the primal, simultaneous drumming of several performers, whose graceful physical flourishes convey an almost ballet-like visual element.
“We’ve been doing it since we were little kids,” says Courtney Ozaki of her group, Mirai Daiko, one of the premier practitioners of the ancient art in Denver. The group’s core comprises Ozaki and her three cousins, who learned the craft under the tutelage of Ozaki’s aunt and uncle. Now up to seven members, Mirai Daiko performs tonight in celebration of the purchase of a “really huge drum” the group had been working to buy. “It took us about seven years to save up for it,” Ozaki says.
To commemorate the purchase, Mirai Daiko is making tonight’s performance special: the group will bring in a mess of guest players unusual to the art — including a saxophonist, a DJ and an African drummer — as well as a bunch of other taiko artists, who will help carry out the closing number. “The most important thing to us is to carry on the tradition,” says Ozaki, “but to make it our own.”
The performance begins at 3 p.m. at Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma Street. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For more in-formation, call 303-623-0524 or visit www.miraidaiko.com.
Sat., Aug. 7, 3 p.m., 2010
