Forty-eight students from Tamagawa University, Japan, performed Japanese traditional Taiko drumming and folkloric dance at Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall in the Philips Memorial Building on Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Tamagawa University’s Taiko and Dance Group have had an annual U.S. tour every spring since 2003. The group consists of junior and senior year students in the College of Arts of Tamagawa University. They have performed in more than 17 schools and 14 institutions on the East Coast. This year, they performed at 11 places in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C., including the National Cherry Blossom Festival of Washington D.C. and Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia.
West Chester University has welcomed the group every spring since 2014. “This is the best I have ever seen so far,” said Wayne Hall, who lives in East Goshen and came to see the performance with his family. He found this event online five years ago and he liked it so much he attends every year. “Dancers with colors were mesmerizing. Very nice. I enjoyed (it).”
The group performed six Taiko drumming songs and five folkloric dances alternatively in the show. As the show went on, songs were more and more upbeat and performers looked more and more excited. For the finale, women with colorful Japanese traditional costumes performed a dance titled “Jongara,” which originated in Aomori in northern Japan. On the stage, a cherry tree picture was in the background, representing traditional Japanese heritage. The women danced softly with pink ribbons while cherry blossoms fell down on the stage. After that, men performed the drumming song “Minori,” which means bountiful harvest. They expressed their energetic, powerful and fulfilling college life through the metaphor of plentiful, strong rice plants.
Gabriela Lo Basso, an alumna of West Chester University and now a performer, also comes to this event every year. “It was absolutely beautiful. Every year is a little different but it is always amazing,” she said. She saw the performers’ passion on the show and had tears in her eyes. “You can tell how much hard work goes into that and how much they love what they do,” she said.
Isaburo Hanayagi, the choreographer and director of the Tamagawa University Taiko and Dance Group, has been teaching at Tamagawa University for 42 years and this is his last year as director of the group. “I would like to show Japanese culture overseas and would like them to appreciate it. All I can do is teaching and inheriting traditional choreography,” he said.
Hanayagi recruited and formed this year’s group around the end of February. In no more than two months, he brought the team to its best quality. Most importantly, he taught them the significance of expressing the soul’s enthusiasm in order to attract and surprise the audience. Even though they are not professional performers, Hanayagi encourages them to show their power and energy, which is unique to college students.
“We really had fun performing in West Chester University. We are so happy that the audience enjoyed our performance,” said Ai Murata, the leader of the Tamagawa University Taiko and Dance Group. “We would love you to stay tuned to our performance next year. We will surprise and amaze you more than this year!”
Minori Suzuki is a student at West Chester University. ✉ MS899251@wcupa.edu.