Kennedy Theatre at the University of Hawaii at Manoa begins its spring season with the appropriately titled "Taiko Drum and Dance."
The collaboration between the UH Department of Theatre and Dance and Kenny Endo’s Taiko Center of the Pacific delivers a melding of interpretive dance and the incessant, pulsating pounding of taiko drums under concert director Peggy Gaither Adams and musical director Endo.
Really, what else could it possibly have been called?
The show actually begins with a short traditional hula, choreographed by Vicki Holt Takamine, devoted to Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. The dancers use long and short kalaau (sticks) during the number, and the whacking is well timed and resonant.
| ‘TAIKO DRUM AND DANCE’
>> Where: Kennedy Theatre, 1770 East-West Road
>> When: 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday
>> Cost: $5-$24
>> Tickets: 956-7655, www.hawaii.edu/kennedy Opens in a new tab
>> Note: Pre-show chat at 7 p.m. Saturday
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But from that point it’s all taiko and modern dance.
Things start off with the premiere of "Midnight Moon," an original composition by Endo that provides an initial under- standing of the blending of contemporary dance and taiko drumming. The student dancers hold fan drums,moving and beating the instruments in time with Endo, who at this point is accompanied by a synthesizer.
The performances slowly ramp up with the next number, "Empty Sky," which spotlights the "shime daiko," a small rope-lashed drum. The instrument looks like a set of bolas about to be thrown to wrap around the head of a bad guy, but the twirling movement provides a hypnotic whooshing sound that creates an almost alien environment.
The next number, "Yamamamba de Ko‘olau," follows a dancing mountain sprite whose white face makeup recalls Japanese noh drama. The music for the sweeping piece is said to have come to Endo’s wife, Chizuko, during drives along the Koolau mountain range.
It all ends before intermission with "Tatsumaki," a taiko number devoted to the tornado, and here is where the sheer power of Endo’s master ensemble is unleashed with irresistibly moving, thumping fury.
All the music performed during the production is live, with Endo’s ensemble either discreetly positioned at the side of the stage or on the stage as the main spectacle itself. The excellent synthesizer player, Derek Nakamoto, who has recorded, arranged and produced for the likes of Hiroshima and The O’Jays, provides most of the nontraditional music cues.
The second half of the production feels more dance-focused, with the taiko ensemble mostly off to the sidelines.
The most impressive of the last four set pieces is "Sosen." Here, Bharatanatyam (classical southwestern Indian dancing) meets kabuki theater, and with the dancers’ jingling anklets, the movements and sounds are mesmerizing.
As one loudly vocal member of the audience put it during this cheerful dance fit for the finale of a Bollywood flick, "Chee, swaaag!"
The printed program is well researched and serves as an indispensable guide to the meaning and background of each piece. Audience members not as well versed in taiko or dance would do well to review it before the start of the show to gain a greater appreciation for the performances.
