Yamato Drummers of Japan Return to Penn State With the Sound of Thunder
October 26, 2005
Wadaiko Yamato, the Japanese drumming troupe that earned a rousing response from a Center for the Performing Arts audience in 2001, returns to Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, with a new and spirited two-act performance called Kami-nari (Thunder). The group of mixed-gender drummers applies the theatrical exhibitionism and energy of a rock 'n roll concert to centuries-old drumming technique in a show tailor-made for family audiences.
Tickets are on sale now at $28 for an adult; $15 for a University Park student; and $18 for a person 18 and younger. For tickets and information, visit www.cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at Eisenhower Auditorium, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; Penn State Tickets Downtown, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays; and Bryce Jordan Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
"Earthquake, thunder, fire and father"–an ancient Japanese proverb–alludes to overwhelming powers. Whether in Japanese tradition or Western mythology, thunder has long been equated with the voice of God. Kami-nari, which translates as "thunder," literally means "God sound."
Tawaraya Sotatsu, a prolific artist from Japan's Edo period some 400 years ago, drew a picture with a title that means "Picture of the Wind God and the Thunder God." In it, the god of thunder shoulders many drums on his back. During its North American tour, Yamato seeks to invoke the power of the voice of thunder.
"In this performance, I want you to relive the joy, anger, humor and pathos of your lives," writes Masa Ogawa, Yamato artistic director. "I would like you to feel pleasure and pain, indeed, every possible sensation. It is these emotions, repeated continuously all our lives, which act together to make existence a wondrous thing."
Although Yamato's drummers exhibit samurai-serious percussion skills, they always convey to the audience that they're enjoying themselves. "We carry open, smiling faces into our performances," Ogawa notes. "Here, men and women are equals on the stage. Our smiles are meant to tickle the serious side of a human being."
Ogawa founded Yamato in 1993 in Nara, the ancient city credited as the birthplace of Japanese culture. Now based in Asuka, Yamato tours the planet with several dozen traditional drums of various sizes. The 13-drummer group (typically 10 on stage at a time), which has toured to almost two dozen countries, has performed more than a thousand concerts for a combined audience in excess of a million people.
McQuaide Blasko Attorneys at Law sponsors the performance. WTAJ-TV10 is the media partner, while WQWK 98.7 is the media sponsor. Artistic Viewpoints, sponsored by the Center for the Performing Arts Community Advisory Council, provides insight from a Yamato company member (with the help of a translator) and is offered free to interested ticket holders in the Eisenhower Auditorium Conference Room one hour before the performance.
Support Toys for Tots: bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Eisenhower Auditorium collection bin when you attend a November performance.
Contact: Laura Sullivan
(814) 863-6379