Learning is a life-long process, and learning from taiko instructors like Yuta Kato and David Wells is a special opportunity In Calgary.
Yuta and David arrived in Calgary and after touring the MRU Conservatory, they became familiar with the workshop and concert venues for the week.
Our first workshop was a marathon of Yodan Uchi. After studying the basics with RMTE Director Paula, we were all set to deepen our Yodan experience. Six hours of learning the intricate footwork and turns was a very long day and there is so much to learn! We hope that one day we can work more on Yodan and someday perform it!
After the long Yodan workshop, the next two days were workshops that were graciously sponsored by Kaede Cultural Society and we welcomed taiko players from the Alberta Taiko Community: Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge.
We all worked together to learn and deepen our understanding of Dokokara, Omiyage, and Jack Bazaar. We also spent time working on drills in both beta and naname technique. David and Yuta each taught different levels of the classes, and students from all the groups were engaged in absorbing everything that they could. Mealtimes were shared with lots of taiko conversation and making new taiko friends from other groups.
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