Photo by Rich Ryan
Mu Daiko_Jennifer Weir_Rich Ryan_Taiko
Mu Daiko, Mu Performing Arts’ Taiko Japanese drumming group, is gearing up for a huge farewell party and a hello. On April 28 - 29, they are hosting Minnesota’s First Taiko Festival in the Guthrie Theater before reintroducing themselves with a performance at Rarig Center as TaikoArts Midwest, an independent nonprofit that will support Mu Daiko, other local Taiko company ensemble-MA, and the spread of Taiko in general.
“This is the last big hurrah with Mu Performing Arts for producing us. We close the festival on Saturday; the next day Sunday, we’re going to take all of our drums and we’re going to have the first concert as TaikoArts Midwest,” says Jennifer Weir, Mu Daiko artistic director and soon-to-be-leader of TaikoArts Midwest. “It’s going to be a really fun way to celebrate everything we’ve done for the last twenty years and also have a party to kick off the next era of Taiko.”
Mu Daiko always has an annual performance, but this year, Weir is pulling out all the stops. She’s invited some of her “favorite people in the world”—Taiko artists will coming from the west coast, driving down from Canada, and even be flying in from Japan—for a collaborative concert on Friday and Saturday evening. There’s no rest between concerts for the special guests, though. These same artists will be hosting free demonstrations, panels, and workshops for all skill levels on Saturday afternoon, while another of the Guthrie's floors will be devoted to free family activities like face painting, origami, storytelling, and of course, a little drum banging.
Weir hopes that through the variety of performers, people will be able to see the breadth of Taiko drumming. Mu Daiko’s performances tends toward the theatric side with traits like visual elements and staging—“that is sort of in our DNA [as part of Mu Performing Arts],” laughs Weir. Others focus only on the large drums, odaikos, or on Kabuki Daiko, a high intensity and energetic form of Taiko. Some of the visiting artists have a tendency to involve choreography, or they create a more melodic experience through the addition of Western instruments or vocalists.
“There are just going to be so many talented performers, both from Mu Daiko and the guest artists that Jennifer has invited in,” says Iris Shiriashi, former Mu Daiko artistic director and leader of ensemble-MA. “This is the next vanguard coming through to show true Taiko talent and artistry.”
No matter what kind of Taiko style Weir performs, it gives her the same feeling: It’s empowering. It’s cathartic. It’s how she connects with the world around her. Through Minnesota's First Taiko Festival and now through TaikoArts Midwest, she wants to share that feeling of rejuvenation and strength—that feeling she gets inside her chest when the drummers hit just one note together—with everyone.
“The way you play with the body and the energy you use requires every bit of you,” says Weir. “You feel the rhythms really vibrating in your chest, and as a woman, it’s so empowering and energizing and healing; it’s all these things that I love, that go deeper than just the rhythms and deeper than just the big drums.”
Minnesota’s First Taiko Festival. April 28-29, free with additional ticket prices for evening concerts or Sunday master workshops, Guthrie Theater, 818 S Second St., Mpls., muperformingarts.org.
TaikoArts Midwest Launch & Jam Concert. April 30 at 6:30 p.m., $10-20, Rarig Center, 330 21st Ave. S, Mpls., facebook.com.
