UPCOMING
CONSTANT STATE OF OTHERNESS
A Toronto Taiko Festival Production
April 19 & 20, 2024
Through taiko, Japanese folk dance, song, and personal story, Constant State of Otherness is a multi-layered performance exploring the universal experiences of othering and alienation. Unit Souzou weaves personal narratives from the ensemble alongside stories collected from diverse youth and adult community collaborators from across the country redefining, unraveling, and revealing the complexities and nuances of identity. By allowing their stories to unfold through the resonance of drum, voice, and movement, Unit Souzou offers an invitation to find our shared longing to belong.
TORONTO TAIKO FESTIVAL 2024
in the space between rage and hope, we drum into action
Toronto Taiko Festival is coming back
August 16-18, 2024!
The Toronto Taiko Festival is back for a fourth time. This intimate 3-day gathering will uplift what inspires us most in RAW Taiko: communities learning together and committing to the transformation of self and world.
Music and taiko can teach us so much:
What does it mean to be an active member of our communities?
Where do we find the strength and confidence to take action?
How do we stay nourished and present in the face of challenging circumstances and systems of oppression?
Join us as we explore these questions through the sound and power of taiko. In taiko workshops (all levels), presentations, a film screening, and performances, we will learn from prominent taiko artists and local activists. Together, we’ll explore the potential of music for mobilising our inner strength and collective power.
- 2024 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE -
09:00 AM
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01:00 PM
Registration
02:00 PM
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04:30 PM
Workshop Block 1
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1A - Beta Together: Kumi with RAW Taiko
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1B - Naname - Power, Movement and Expression with Yurika Chiba
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1C - Composition - Putting Together a Great Song with Megan Chao Smith
01:00 PM
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02:00 PM
Opening Circle
07:00 PM
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09:00 PM
Finding Her Beat - Film Screening & Artist Talk-Back
09:00 AM
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10:00 AM
Registration
02:00 PM
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04:30 PM
Workshop Block 3
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3A - Solo Coaching for Naname with Jennifer Weir
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3B - Transformative Justice & Taiko with RAW Taiko & Guest Facilitator (TBA)
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3C - Miyake Fundamentals & Core Engagement with Ame no Ato
10:00 AM
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12:30 PM
Workshop Block 2
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2A - Katsugi Okedo - Taking Care of the Drum and Your Body with Yurika Chiba
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2B - Odaiko - Bring Everything You've Got with Megan Chao Smith
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2C - Naname Fundamentals with RAW Taiko
08:00 PM
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10:00 PM
Bang On! Concert
10:00 AM
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12:30 PM
Workshop Block 4
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4A - Drum into Action with RAW Taiko
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4B - Building Yatai Bayashi dynamics with Ame no Ato
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4C - Narimono - Chappa, Hyotan & Atarigane with Yurika Chiba
01:00 PM
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01:30 PM
Closing Circle
& Group Photograph
2024 Workshop Instructors & Performers
Location
The 2024 Toronto Taiko Festival location is TBD! Coming Soon
Acknowledgements
Toronto Taiko Festival gratefully acknowledges support from the Community Fund of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, project funding from Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council, and operational funding from the Toronto Arts Council, without which this festival would not be possible.