Tao (musical troupe)
Encyclopedia
TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming is a Japanese drum and dance ensemble formed in 1993. This performing group combines music and dance to reflect Japanese tradition, but also incorporates Korean, Maori
, and Indonesian
influences.. While some songs are traditional, most are modern compositions created by members of the troupe.
Its performers train in their own center in the Kujū Highlands
on Kyushu
called Grandioso. The strenuous physical demands of their performance style demands that all performers also train as athletes. Their daily workouts, which start at 5 a.m. and end at 10 p.m., include a 20 kilometer run, calisthenics
, martial arts
training, and hours of dance, drum, and music practice. During the first ten years, 400 trainees ran away, after which the founder and "boss", Ikuo Fujitaka, adjusted the training regimen. 40 people have dropped out between 2003 and 2008.
Many of their performance pieces include only percussion instruments, and in some cases only taiko
drums, but other pieces include the shinobue
, or Japanese flute, bamboo marimba, gongs, and the koto
, a horizontal harp.
After more than a decade touring Japan, the group performed at the at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they sold out of tickets for 25 straight days and outsold every other performance group . They have been touring internationally ever since.
Maori music
Te Pūoro Māori or Māori Music is music composed or performed by Māori, the native people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance, as well as modern rock and roll, soul, reggae and hip hop....
, and Indonesian
Music of Indonesia
The music of Indonesia demonstrates its cultural diversity, the local musical creativity, as well as subsequent foreign musical influences that shaped contemporary music scenes of Indonesia. Nearly thousands of Indonesian islands having its own cultural and artistic history and character. This...
influences.. While some songs are traditional, most are modern compositions created by members of the troupe.
Its performers train in their own center in the Kujū Highlands
Kuju, Oita
was a town located in Naoiri District, Ōita, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Kujū, along with the towns of Naoiri and Ogi, all from Naoiri District, was merged into the expanded city of Taketa....
on Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
called Grandioso. The strenuous physical demands of their performance style demands that all performers also train as athletes. Their daily workouts, which start at 5 a.m. and end at 10 p.m., include a 20 kilometer run, calisthenics
Calisthenics
Calisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using...
, martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
training, and hours of dance, drum, and music practice. During the first ten years, 400 trainees ran away, after which the founder and "boss", Ikuo Fujitaka, adjusted the training regimen. 40 people have dropped out between 2003 and 2008.
Many of their performance pieces include only percussion instruments, and in some cases only taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drums, but other pieces include the shinobue
Shinobue
The shinobue is a Japanese transverse flute or fue that has a high-pitched sound. It is found in hayashi and nagauta ensembles, and plays important roles in noh and kabuki theatre music. It is heard in Shinto music such as kagura-den and in traditional Japanese folk songs...
, or Japanese flute, bamboo marimba, gongs, and the koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
, a horizontal harp.
After more than a decade touring Japan, the group performed at the at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they sold out of tickets for 25 straight days and outsold every other performance group . They have been touring internationally ever since.