Cancelation Announcement for Kodo Taiko Exchange Forum 2021 Spring

We regret to announce that Kodo Taiko Exchange Forum 2021 Spring (Mar. 18–21, 2021) has been canceled in light of the ongoing pandemic situation in Japan. The team organizing this event tried to figure out ways to carry out this live-in workshop with sufficient safety measures in place, but they reached the decision that it was not possible to hold a camp-style event safely at this time. We apologize to everyone who registered for this event for this disappointing news.
We hope to find a way to safely hold this event in the near future. Please check our website and social media accounts for future updates.

Immerse Yourself in Taiko with Kodo on Sado Island!

Calling all taiko enthusiasts!
In March 2021, we will hold a live-in workshop for taiko players on Sado Island, where Kodo is based. The workshop will start by focusing on creating sound together as one. You’ll make your own drumsticks and review the fundamentals for playing a taiko drum. Next, three instructors from the Kodo ensemble will lead experience sessions in turn, where they’ll introduce some of their fields of expertise. To conclude, all the participants will work together to create a short performance programme.

This forum is your chance to unlock Kodo’s vault of taiko skills and knowledge, which the ensemble has amassed over the past four decades. Learn firsthand from Kodo performers as they share encounters, philosophies, and experiences from the group’s life on Sado Island and performances all over the world. We hope you’ll get a lot of tips and ideas to take home with you. You’re also invited to tell us what you’d like to do during this workshop, so you can really make the most of this opportunity.

There will be plenty of intervals throughout the workshop to encourage communication. Whether it’s a story you’d love to share about taiko or your hometown, a burning question about taiko, or a request for advice, this group will be filled with people eager to listen, chat, and help.
This is a special opportunity for taiko lovers to get together to enjoy taiko and discuss the future of this instrument and art form. We hope you can join us! 

[Update Jan. 21, 2021] In response to the state of emergency for 11 prefectures in Japan from the Japanese government recently, the operation committee is currently considering all measures to ensure that all participants can take part in the workshop safely. We will be in contact with applicants after Feb. 7 (Sun) for further updates. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

What is Kodo Taiko Exchange Forum? About Kodo Taiko School

Mar 18 (Thu), 2021 - Mar 21 (Sun), 2021 Fukaura Schoolhouse, Sado Island, Niigata

Programme:

1. Creating sound together as one.
2. The three instructors will lead experience sessions, focusing on their fields of expertise, including:
   *Drumstick making and playing taiko with your new sticks
   *A fresh approach to playing upright taiko
   *A look at beautiful comportment (posture/movement)
   *Making the most of songs and voices in taiko performances
   *O-daiko Don Don Don
   *Creating a performance together as a group
3. All participants will create a short performance programme together.

 

During intervals between activities, participants will be actively encouraged to exchange ideas with each other and the instructors.

Instructors:

Yoshie Abe (Kodo)

Kenta Nakagome (Kodo)

Shogo Komatsuzaki (Kodo)

Participant Requirements:

Participants must be senior high school age (minimum of 15 years) or over.
(Anyone under 18 who is offered a workshop place will be sent a parental consent form.)

Experience performing taiko as a member of a taiko group (or similar) for 5 years or more.

Fee:

55,000 yen (incl. tax) *50,000 yen for Kodo no Kai members.

(Four-day/three-night camp. Fee includes workshop instruction, drumsticks, onsite accommodations, meals, & insurance.)

Capacity:

20 people

Start:

Meet at Ryotsu Port (Sado Island) at 14:40 on Mar. 18 (Thu).

 

*Time subject to change slightly when the 2021 Sado Kisen Ferry timetable is announced.

End:

Drop off at Ryotsu Port at 12:30 on Mar. 21 (Mon).

*Time subject to change slightly when the 2021 Sado Kisen Ferry timetable is announced.

Application Period:

Dec. 7 (Mon), 2020—Jan. 29 (Fri), 2021
*Applications have now closed. Applicants will be contacted shortly.

Application Method:

Please apply using this online form.
If there are more applicants than spaces available, participants will be chosen by lottery. 

Venue Address:

Fukaura Gakusha (Fukaura Schoolhouse), 336-4 Fukaura, Sado, Niigata Prefecture

Inquiries:

If you have any questions about this event, please use this form to contact Yasuko Honma at Kodo Cultural Foundation:
Kodo Taiko Exchange 2021 Spring Inquiry Form

Important Notes:

1. The Kodo Office will be closed for its annual year-end holidays from Dec. 25 (Fri), 2020 through Jan. 7 (Thu), 2021. Please note that inquiries cannot be answered during this period.
2. This live-in workshop is designed to have participants stay onsite in shared accommodations, with men and women in separate rooms. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we will also make it possible for participants who wish to stay in lodgings in the Ogi area to commute (approx. 10 mins. by car from central Ogi) to the workshop venue each day. If you wish to stay in alternative accommodations, please let us know in the comments section of the application form. All alternative accommodation bookings and transportation arrangements to/from the workshop venue need to be made and paid for by the individual. If you choose not to stay onsite, the participation fee will be reduced to 46,000 yen (incl. tax/lunch and dinner included / breakfast not included).
3. This workshop will be conducted entirely in Japanese. There is a space to specify your Japanese level on the application form. If required, we will arrange a Japanese-English interpreter to provide some support.
4. We want people to take as much of what they learn and experience at the workshop back home with them to share with their taiko group. So we recommend having two people from the same group attend if possible. (Note: Two is the maximum number of people we will accept from one group.)
5. Anyone is welcome to apply, regardless of whether or not they have previous experience of taking Kodo workshops.
6. We will hold this live-in workshop with all the necessary preventative measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you are offered a place in the workshop, we will ask you to have a PCR test prior and to monitor your health in the lead up the workshop. Detailed information will be sent to confirmed participants. We kindly ask for your cooperation to help us make this event as safe as possible for all involved.
7. There is a possibility that this workshop will need to be rescheduled depending on the COVID-19 pandemic situation nearer the time. The final decision about holding the workshop as planned will be made by Mar. 4 (Thu), 2021.

“Kodo Taiko Exchange 2021 Spring” Facebook Group

In the lead up to this workshop, we have launched a Facebook group so everyone interested in joining this event can start communicating with each other.

 

Kodo Taiko Exchange 2021 Spring (Closed Group)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/322348075488833/

(Please add a short message with your request to join.)

 

This group will be a place for:

• -Kodo to share information about the workshop
• -participants to introduce themselves
• -participants to share their ideas or requests for workshop content, etc.
• -everyone to chat and connect as a group before the onsite exchange forum.  

 

The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, so we will cautiously monitor the situation in the lead up to the event. The final decision about whether or not we can hold this event safely as planned will be made closer to the time.

 

For now, let’s meet up virtually.

Flyer PDF