Reflection
Genine Marie Tacadena
Dance 131
Taiko Drum and Dance; Little Things Do Matter I went to Kenny Endo's Taiko Drum and Dance Saturday night thinking I was just going to see pieces with just dancing and just drumming. I did not expect to see what I saw and this performance completely changed my view of dancing/dancers, drummers/musicians/composers...artistry in general. The overall performance was good, but it were the little things, like having good posture and form while playing or dancing, or the use of instruments and lighting, that made it great. The entire show was composed of many different pieces and routines as well as different kinds of artists like dancers and musicians. However is wasn't just dancing or just drumming. Each piece in the show combined both elements, which was very interesting to see. The opening piece gave way to an amazing show. You would expect to see dancers on the main stage doing their routine and choreography, wow-ing the audience with their moves while the drummers stand in the background creating the music that the dancers are moving to. But that isn't what happened in 'O Kaua Pele I Haka I Tahiti. The dancers were using what looked like bamboo sticks and their feet to produce the beat that they did the hula to. It's things like this that make the audience realize just how hard dancing can be, especially when you're dancing and playing! This also happened in other pieces like Midnight Moon where fan drums were used to create the beat that each person moved to or like in Sosen where bells were strapped around the dancers feet, emphasizing the tempo of the routine. Dancing and playing may seem hard, but imagine dancing and playing and looking flawless at the same time. It was amazing to see dancers dance and be musicians at the same time, but it was even more amazing to see how everyone made it look so clean. In every single piece of the show, you could easily see the form each person kept throughout each routine. Even the
Dance 131
Taiko Drum and Dance; Little Things Do Matter I went to Kenny Endo's Taiko Drum and Dance Saturday night thinking I was just going to see pieces with just dancing and just drumming. I did not expect to see what I saw and this performance completely changed my view of dancing/dancers, drummers/musicians/composers...artistry in general. The overall performance was good, but it were the little things, like having good posture and form while playing or dancing, or the use of instruments and lighting, that made it great. The entire show was composed of many different pieces and routines as well as different kinds of artists like dancers and musicians. However is wasn't just dancing or just drumming. Each piece in the show combined both elements, which was very interesting to see. The opening piece gave way to an amazing show. You would expect to see dancers on the main stage doing their routine and choreography, wow-ing the audience with their moves while the drummers stand in the background creating the music that the dancers are moving to. But that isn't what happened in 'O Kaua Pele I Haka I Tahiti. The dancers were using what looked like bamboo sticks and their feet to produce the beat that they did the hula to. It's things like this that make the audience realize just how hard dancing can be, especially when you're dancing and playing! This also happened in other pieces like Midnight Moon where fan drums were used to create the beat that each person moved to or like in Sosen where bells were strapped around the dancers feet, emphasizing the tempo of the routine. Dancing and playing may seem hard, but imagine dancing and playing and looking flawless at the same time. It was amazing to see dancers dance and be musicians at the same time, but it was even more amazing to see how everyone made it look so clean. In every single piece of the show, you could easily see the form each person kept throughout each routine. Even the