ONE members gather to welcome Shane, Greg and the New Year

Pardon my sentimental blubbering. A few days ago in a shinnenkai celebration, with cheers, laughter and more than a few damp eyes, we welcomed two new members to Odaiko New England: Greg and Shane. It was with enormous pride in their efforts, accomplishments and promise that we bestowed on them in our welcome ceremony the rare and esteemed Purple T-Shirt of Membership. This was a huge step for us, because they are the first new folks to join since our Community Group was formed. Two years ago, in a leap of courage and faith, five ONE members invited in fifteen additional enthusiastic and dedicated taiko lovers, and the Community Group became a reality. Suddenly ONE quadrupled in size from an intimate group of five, to an intimate group of twenty. It was a new model for everyone.

This huge and sudden growth has been a challenge: logistically, emotionally, and professionally. How to provide equipment for so many people? How to make group decisions? Train and rehearse so many different skill levels? Distribute performance opportunities fairly? Together (and with the wise guidance of the Fabulous Five original ensemble members), we did it! Sixteen years after our founder Elaine Fong began banging on old tires, we are growing and flourishing. We finally have a real office! Paid staff! Costumes that fit (mostly)! For sure, our equipment could use some upgrading (I speak lovingly of drums such as Mr. Jingles, Harry the Hiccupping Hira, Helen the Holey, and Thumper the shime). But that, too, will surely come to pass.

The admission of our first “new” new members Shane and Greg has led us to think about who we are, what we do, and where we want to go. Some foregone conclusions: (1) we love taiko and want to share our passion; (2) we don’t just want to drum: we want to drum together; (3) we are a family: we share each others’ joys and sorrows, watch each others’ backs, nurture each other as we can, and rejoice in our “in-laws” (partners, families and pets). So welcome, Shane and Greg, to the joyous, passionate and diverse taiko family that is Odaiko New England.

Our newest members sport their purple t-shirts.

Loaded up and Ready to Go

So, here we are, coming out of our anniversary concert, and there isn’t much time to rest.

It’s my first chance to organize a gig.

I rashly volunteered to organize a performance for the Waltham Riverfest.  Megan Gleeson of the Waltham Cultural Council approached me about this performance some time ago, and since Waltham is my home community and this a new event, I volunteered to organize the performance from the ONE side.  I really want the Riverfest to succeed as an event, and I thought it would be fun to bring ONE to such a public performance in Waltham.

Now I’m learning exactly what it means to organize a gig.

So far, I’ve had to…

1. Find out all the general details (time, location, stage size, where we’ll unload, how long the set should last…).  This was the easy part, since Megan was super helpful.
2. Find out who would be willing to play.  We have a crew of six: Kate, Sheilarae, Joy, Matt, myself, and Tanya.  (Thank goodness I’ve got a good crew!)
3. Determine the set: Figure out what songs we can play well enough, what everyone wants to play, and then actually assign parts!  This was challenging.  I kept changing the song order, trying to balance things so that no one has to play too many songs…
4. Decide what we’ll be wearing.  (Our new black t-shirts, black pants, black tabi, and colorful hachimaki.)
5. Make a loading list with all the needed equipment.
6. Coordinate a little extra practice time.  (Thanks to Mark, and a fortunate rehearsal plan, we got to play 3 of the 5 songs as part of our regular Thursday night rehearsal.)
7. Communicate exactly what is needed and direct people as we gathered all the gear together at the end of rehearsal.
8. Fit all that stuff into 2 cars (in the middle of a heavy downpour).

And today I still need to plan out what I’m going to say in between songs!

Okay, somehow it looks simpler when I list it out like this.  Maybe I should have done that first!

I’m excited to see it all come together tomorrow!

You can learn taiko at our upcoming workshops! Here’s the info from our website:

In our popular workshops, new drummers learn taiko fundamentals such as kata (form), kiai (vocalization) and kumidaiko (ensemble drumming). Translation: Look really cool while yelling and hitting things with friends!

Using our entire bodies to drum, we’ll explore first-hand the mesmerizing, heart-pounding power of taiko. It’s an invigorating experience for body and spirit!

Participants in the Youth workshop will enjoy fun musical games that incorporate movement and vocalization as we learn about respect in Japanese culture and phrases in Japanese. Using the oral tradition of passing down taiko rhythms, we’ll learn and play a taiko song.

No experience is necessary! ONE brings enthusiastic and encouraging instructors and all necessary drums and equipment. Participants bring plenty of energy, spirit, and joy!  Space is limited, so sign up today!

Youth Workshop (8-12 years old) is on Monday, May 11th, 4:00 to 5:00 pm
Adult Workshop (13+) is on Tuesday, May 12th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Both workshops will take place at the ACAS Center, 29 Montvale Avenue in Woburn. Contact us with any questions regarding this workshop or to reserve your space now: (781-938-3786 ) or classes@onetaiko.org

These workshops are made possible as as part of Woburn Arts/Culture Initiative coordinated by SCI with support from Northwest Suburban Health Alliance/CHNA 15 DoN funds from Lahey Clinic.

Odaiko New England is looking quite fabulous these days. In anticipation of our 15^th year anniversary concert, reVISION, (Arlington Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA, May 30^th and 31^st, 2009), we will be quite colorful in our new happi coat costumes.

What are happi?

Happi is a traditional Japanese robe imprinted with a distinctive crest. Originally worn by shopkeepers, servants and firefighters, the crest represented the organization they belonged to. Festival happi coats originated from Japanese firemen jackets. In the Edo period, firefighters were not paid for firefighting, but the promptness of their arrival. Thus conspicuous happi and dancing near fires were essential to them. Later on, happi coats were worn in festivals and parties in fond memory of dancing firemen!

After months of online shopping, we found the perfect look from store BOKUNAN-DO. We highly recommend their selection and friendly service. Many thanks to their customer service rep Natsu for all her help!

Our happi is a traditional short kimono styled jacket in bright red and black with violet and gold noshi ribbons. Originally, noshi was a ceremonial gift meant to wish good luck in the coming year. The gift was adorned with rice paper folded to resemble colorful, tied ribbons, which symbolize the unity between the giver and the recipient. Today, noshi ribbons have come to symbolize a special gift. How appropriate for Odailo New England, we bring the special gift of awe-inspiring taiko. And now, we look as fabulous as we sound!