October 15, 2007

Yamato to bring traditional Japanese drumming to Purdue

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Part of Purdue Convocations' Lively Arts series, the Yamato performance - a feel-good display of technical skill, strength and euphoric concentration - is appropriate for children ages 6 and up but would be best enjoyed by children ages 9 and up, said Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations.

Founded in 1993 in Nara, Japan, said to be the birthplace of Japanese culture, Yamato has played to more than 1 million people in more than 20 different countries.

"Rather than perform the traditional music of early Japan, Yamato explores and interprets the beat of the ancient wadaiko drum in a new Japanese performance art," Wetzel said. "Through the pounding of their drums, Yamato drummers echo a beating heart and celebrate the power and warmth of life's rhythm."

Their production, a spectacle that features 14 performers and includes several dozen traditional taiko drums, includes elements of music, meditation, dance and even comedy, Wetzel said. Featured instruments include the odaiko, literally a "big, fat drum" made from a huge tree more than 400 years old; the shime-daiko, a small drum with a laced head brought to Japan from Kudara (Korea) around the sixth century; the miya-daiko, a beer-barrel-shaped drum made from one large piece of wood; the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument with a long neck; and the shinobue, a flute made from shinobamboo that provides the melodic counterpart to the rhythm of the taiko.

In "Shin-On - Heartbeat," Yamato emphasizes the idea of "one beat, one sound" – the notion that all people of the Earth are connected through space and time, just as the drum beats are linked together to create one resounding rhythm, Wetzel said.

Tickets for Yamato - the Drummers of Japan are $15-35 for adults and $15-25 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at (765) 496-1977.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kerry Schutt Nason, (765) 494-5045, knason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Publication-quality photos of Yamato – The Drummers of Japan are available at https://www.purdue.edu/convos/yamatoimages.shtml

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