OET “Mystery” Tour Finale | Performance in Hakusan City
July 20 “Mystery” Finale at “Hakusan International Taiko Extasia 2014”
“Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery” toured throughout Japan from May to July, giving 31 performances attended by around 40,000 people. For the finale of this tour, we were invited to perform at “Hakusan International Taiko Extasia 2014,” held at Hakusan-shi Matto Bunka Kaikan in Hakusan, Ishikawa.
The “Mystery” tour will continue from September, traveling from Hokkaido & Tohoku all the way down to Western Honshuu. We hope you’ll join us!
Setting Up for “DADAN” Performances in Lyon
We have left Spain for a few days to come to Lyon, France! It’s been 5 years since Kodo was last at outdoor festival “Les Nuits de Fourvière,” and it’s great to be back. The Roman amphitheater venue is a World Heritage site! It is wonderful to see these relics still in use today. We have to be very careful on stage not to touch the historic stone pillars.
It requires a detailed “plan of attack” by Kodo’s sound engineer Takuro Susaki and Niigata Shomei Giken Co. sound engineer Kaori Abe, who works with us in Japan.
Our preparations are done and we are ready for two days of performing here!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“Chieko’s 3-Day Intensive Workshop has Finished!” by Yui Kawamoto
The Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI), housed at Asano Taiko U.S., hosted a 3-day intensive workshop led by Chieko Kojima.
Participants were from all over North America including Seattle, Sacramento, Boston, Calgary, Montreal, etc.. Not only did they gain experience in playing Hana Hachijo, but I believe they gained many new friendships within the taiko community.
Thank you Yuta Kato, principal at LATI, for being the assistant/interpreter! And thank you, participants! We hope to see you again somewhere!
Chieko Kojiima, Eiichi Saito “LATI 3-Day Intensive Workshops”
“Kodo ‘DADAN’ Madrid Performance” by Mitsuru Ishizuka
We, the “DADAN” cast & crew, came to Spain’s capital city, Madrid. The other day we were performing on an outdoor stage, so the mechanical atmosphere of this round theater is quite a contrast to that. The circular stalls section in the middle of the theater is apparently sometimes used as a stage for circuses and other events by taking those seats out.
Compared to the other theaters we have performed at on this tour, the stage width and depth are somewhat smaller, so we had to arrange our instruments and the cast formations to suit.
The new members are doing their best to hang in there as we adapt to each different venue we encounter.
Over 1000 people joined us for our evening performance in Madrid, making for a very lively, exciting capital-city performance.
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
Madrid Performance
On this “DADAN” tour in Spain, we are perfoming in places Kodo has never held concerts before, including here in Madrid. It’s our Spanish capital debut.
An audience of all ages, young and old, came along to see us at the round concert venue, Teatro Price, and they shouted excitedly after each piece, giving us a standing ovation at the end.
“DADAN” is charging on full-steam ahead thanks to the power we have received from our audiences in Spain so far. Thank you very much to everyone who has come along to see us.
Next, we are heading to Lyon in France. It’s been 5 years since we were last here in 2009 to perform at festival “Les Nuits de Fourvière.” Everyone in Lyon, see you really soon!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“Rehearsals for ‘TAIKO NATION 2014′” by Yui Kawamoto
This weekend, taiko enthusiasts from all over the world come together in Los Angeles, California, for the World Taiko Gathering.
The Taiko Nation concert is just one of the many exciting events that will be held there, as it features taiko players from several different countries.
Chieko Kojima and Eiichi Saito will participate in this event from Kodo.
On this day, Chieko joined TAIKOPROJECT for their rehearsal on a collaboration piece.
We are all very excited to see how this piece will turn out at the performance!
“‘DADAN’ in Tarragona” by Mitsuru Ishizuka
July 12, 2014
We came to Tarragona today, it took us two hours to get here by bus this morning.
Here is the entrance of the theater. What awaits us inside?
We were greeted by a loading route somewhat like a suspension bridge. We had to load all our equipment in along this route, ducking between the trees along the way.
It took us all the way to this amazing outdoor stage!
Behind the stage, you can see the castle-like walls of the city, which was built in ancient Roman times. Tarragona has been designated as a World Heritage Site and we get to perform in front of this gorgeous backdrop.
The junior members, for whom this will be their third performance, were stunned by this situation but they are doing their best!
This stage is outside in the middle of the town, so during our rehearsal we heard chiming church bells, the sound of fireworks at a weekend event, sirens from police cars, etc, etc, and we were worried, wondering what sounds would ring out during our performance. But thanks to the audience’s superb concentration, we weren’t aware of any other noises at all. I was both appreciative and moved by this fact while I was performing. Thank you!
Tomorrow we have a day off in Tarragona. I will go to see the World Heritage sites!
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“Rehearsal in Tarragona” by Kenta Nakagome
Photo Album
These pictures are from our rehearsals in Tarragona, Spain. Now, we will go to Madrid. It will be around 34℃ there, but we will do our best!
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“DADAN” Castellón Performance
On July 11, we gave a “DADAN” performance at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of Ube Industries, LTD. in Spain.
Here’s a picture of Kodo’s Spanish agent Isabel Gonzalez with Yosuke Oda.
Ms. Miyanaga from S.L.S., who always does our tour lighting in Japan, joined our tour in Spain for support until Castellón. Thank you and great job, Ms. Miyanaga!
Tomorrow we have an outdoor performance in Tarragona. Our hard schedule continues…
By DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“DADAN Performance in Castellón” By DADAN Staff
The “DADAN” tour members arrived in Castellón for their second performance in Spain.
This performance was a private event for the 20th Anniversary of Ube Industries, LTD. in Spain. We hope they enjoyed our performance!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html