ONE brings art of Japanese drumming alive in Edwards
Melissa La Marca
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Entertainment
10/8/09 - Walking into Edward's Auditorium, for a Japanese-style drumming performance, I didn't know what to expect.
The performance was put on by the musical group Odaiko New England, called ONE, a diverse group of drummers, cellists, violinists and other musicians.
Founded in 1994, ONE aspires to expand the knowledge of Japanese culture through music. The group incorporates Japanese drumming styles along with other rhythmic patterns, which fuse together to create their unique sound.
The auditorium was full of students and professors curious to know what kind of show ONE was going to put on.
As for me, I went in with the expectation that I was in for two long hours of constant, deafening drumming. However, after the concert began, I realized how wrong I was. Although the members of ONE consider themselves "the next generation of American Taiko," (which translates to "drum") the performance includes much more than just that. With interpretive dancing, intricate masked costumes, handmade drums and more the show was very entertaining.
The style of drumming was probably the most interesting part of the performance. The performers not only involved their mind and spirits, but their full bodies. It was clear that it took an extensive amount of energy and precision to perform an entire show.
In total, the group performed around 10 songs, all of which were taught to the members of the group orally, as opposed to passed out on a sheet of music.
As a part of Diversity Week, the show's main focus was to expand the audience's knowledge of Japanese culture. ONE not only brought its members together, but also allowed the audience to feel involved in the experience.
All in all, it was a really enjoyable show. It was a different and exciting presentation of cultural tradition.
The performance was put on by the musical group Odaiko New England, called ONE, a diverse group of drummers, cellists, violinists and other musicians.
Founded in 1994, ONE aspires to expand the knowledge of Japanese culture through music. The group incorporates Japanese drumming styles along with other rhythmic patterns, which fuse together to create their unique sound.
The auditorium was full of students and professors curious to know what kind of show ONE was going to put on.
As for me, I went in with the expectation that I was in for two long hours of constant, deafening drumming. However, after the concert began, I realized how wrong I was. Although the members of ONE consider themselves "the next generation of American Taiko," (which translates to "drum") the performance includes much more than just that. With interpretive dancing, intricate masked costumes, handmade drums and more the show was very entertaining.
The style of drumming was probably the most interesting part of the performance. The performers not only involved their mind and spirits, but their full bodies. It was clear that it took an extensive amount of energy and precision to perform an entire show.
In total, the group performed around 10 songs, all of which were taught to the members of the group orally, as opposed to passed out on a sheet of music.
As a part of Diversity Week, the show's main focus was to expand the audience's knowledge of Japanese culture. ONE not only brought its members together, but also allowed the audience to feel involved in the experience.
All in all, it was a really enjoyable show. It was a different and exciting presentation of cultural tradition.
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