Guest Teacher Workshops |
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Guest teacher workshops enable taiko players in the UK and Europe to learn first-hand from the world’s foremost taiko teachers and performers, and also to experience the wonderfully varied traditions of taiko drumming.
The workshops attract taiko players from all across Europe, and provide the opportunity for players from different groups and from different countries to meet & share ideas. |
| As spaces on guest teacher workshops are in great demand, they are offered first to those who have been on 3 or more weekend workshops at the Dojo, and to taiko players who are members of regularly rehearsing and performing groups. |
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| “This Sundays workshop with Kurumaya Sensei has so far been the highlight of my drumming experience, whether Taiko or any other drumming style. To have the benefit of spending time with such an intuitive teacher was greatly appreciated – not to mention the opportunity of seeing him perform, too. Actually sharing a drum with the man was again a real honour and pleasure. I found him very inspiring, and can understand how he has been responsible for firing your (and many others) passion for wadaiko.” |
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upcoming workshops: |
We are looking forward to the return visit of Hiroshi Motofuji in July / August 2007 – when dates are confirmed, workshop details are posted on the UPCOMING DATES PAGE.
Contact us for further information:
MTD@taiko.co.uk or 01357 522 008 |
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GUEST TEACHER Workshops Held So far: |
Hiroshi Motofuji - August 2006 |
| Motofuji has a 30 year history of playing taiko, originally with the Tokyo group Oedo Sukeroku, a group who have been central to the development of modern taiko, and whose distinctive “Sukeroku” style has now become hugely popular with groups across the world. With Oedo Sukeroku, Motofuji served as group leader, and was responsible for training new members. |
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| After 10 years with the group, Motofuji became an independent player, forming fusion groups with rock music, and working as a session player for different projects with many genres of music. He is currently at the forefront of the new wave of taiko players in Tokyo, both as a solo player and with his three-man group: DaKT. |
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Katsuji Kondo - April 2006 |
| Katsuji Kondo joined Ondekoza, the fore-runner of Kodo in 1976, training in taiko drums, tsugaru shamisen (three stringed Japanese lute), folk dance and song. With Kodo, he toured throughout the world, performing over 1200 concerts in over 20 countries. In 1993 he left Kodo to pursue a career as a solo player and teacher, and is currently one of the most sought-after taiko masters. |
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| Katsuji Kondo is assisted at his workshops by Mio Shoji, a Shinto priestess in Japan’s only shrine solely dedicated to the taiko drum. |
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Hanayui - October 2005 |
Hanayui's second visit to the Dojo (see March 2004 for Hanayui profile) co-incided with a joint UK tour with Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers. On this visit, Chieko Kojima and Mitsue Kinjo were joined by Masaru Tsuji, who has been a member of Kodo since 1998, touring extensively with the group.
At the workshop, participants learned a traditional folk dance, with the taiko accompaniment. |
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Masaaki Kurumaya Sensei - April 2005 |
The legendary Kurumaya Sensei – the man who started it all. Mackie & Miyuki first trained with Masaaki Kurumaya Sensei in 1992 – 1994, who provided the teaching & the inspiration to form Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers. Kurumaya Sensei is a master of Fukui-style “mitsu-uchi”, and is renowned for his powerful playing style, flowing movement and jazz-influenced rhythms. |
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He led the ground-breaking “Hibiki Daiko” drummers from Fukui who pioneered a modern re-invention of the traditional Fukui improvised style of playing.
He now has a new performing unit: the Kurumaya Group. He is one of the leading taiko teachers in Japan, and is a master at making a powerful sound out of a Taiko drum, and at directing KI energy in his playing. In Fukui he runs the Kurumaya Taiko Dojo, where he teaches a range of students from beginners right through to professional taiko players who travel to him from all over the world. |
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Hanayui - March 2004 |
Hanayui is a performance ensemble that grew as an offshoot of Kodo in 1991, through which Kodo members could explore the possibilities of folk performing arts, focusing on folk dance and song with taiko accompaniment.
The workshop enabled taiko players to try out Japanese folk dance, Okinawan dance, and learn a song from the Ainu - the original indigenous people of the Japanese islands. |
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| Chieko Kojima joined Ondekoza (Kodo’s original incarnation) in 1976, developing a unique style of dance within Kodo’s Taiko-based performance. Mitsue Kinjo is a certified master of Okinawan dance with her own dance school on Sado Island, as well as teaching at the Kodo apprentice centre. Yoko Fujimoto is a long-standing member of Kodo and an accomplished singer. |
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