Odaiko Sonora News: Summer 2007

From left: 3rd Annual Southern AZ Taiko Showcase photos, from left: Odaiko Sonora Community Group performs Tanjyo; Jacob and Rome looking innocent; OS and Fushicho Daiko members join San Jose Taiko on MooiKai; Tiffany Tamaribuchi demonstrates strength, speed and spirit on the odaiko. Photos by Patrick McArdle and Tracy Baynes.

Greetings!

We don’t know about you, but here at Odaiko Sonora we’re really glad to see summer arrive. By June 30, we will have racked up a whopping 45 gigs for FY2006-07! Among the year’s accomplishments: securing a permanent warehouse home, launching several successful new classes, performing our first out-of-state performance and our first featured-performer concert, and producing two sold out or nearly sold out concerts. We were contracted by Pinal County to provide programs and concerts for their K-12 gifted students, completed our first full school residency program, and took our college level team-building curriculum to a middle school in need of activities to address racial divisions within the studentship. We need a vacation! But more about that in the “What’s Next” section.

Showcase Success

The 3rd Annual Southern AZ Taiko Showcase was a resounding success. A near-capacity crowd of over 450 people enjoyed a wide array of new songs and choreography by Tucson and Phoenix groups. Add to that the power and spirit of Sacramento Taiko Dan leader Tiffany Tamaribuchi on Odaiko and the stunning energy, grace and joy of San Jose Taiko, and the result was our best Showcase yet! With a finale that brought over 40 players to the stage, the Showcase proved, once again, to be a powerful place of gathering and communion for players and audience alike. We thank all of you who came and supported taiko and performing arts in Southern Arizona!

Applied Taiko

Teambuilding through action, communication, coordination, and just plain fun! The Greater Tucson Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development is partnering with Odaiko Sonora to offer an exciting, fun teambuilding event on Friday, June 29, 8:00am to 10:00am.

Why attend and bring a guest?

• You are wooing a client and want to build a closer bond with them
• You want to spend quality time with your boss
• You are the boss with two or three employees who need to learn to work together
• It's on a Friday morning, what a great time for some energetic fun to kick off the weekend

Attendance is limited to 20 participants. Continental breakfast will be provided. During the two hours, you will have time to connect with others, participate in an hour-long structured workshop with discussion of how taiko fits in with team-building and training, and re-connect with fellow participants before heading out for the rest of your day. The location is Odaiko Sonora SPACE, 1013 S. Tyndall (just south of 22nd street and west of Park avenue), Tucson.

ASTD-Greater Tucson Chapter members, $35.00; Non-members, $45.00. Register online by June 25.

What’s Next?

Travel and Training
So what do taiko players do on summer vacation? Play taiko, of course! All of our performers and many of our community players will be on the move to taiko-rich areas for professional development and training. By far, the most important of these is the bi-annual North American Taiko Conference. NATC offers a wide variety of master classes and class levels, a marketplace for hard-to-find taiko goods, and invaluable opportunities for players to meet and share resources. In addition, Rome will be heading to Sacramento for a weekend intensive with Tiffany Tamaribuchi in June, and Karen and Jacob plan to attend the San Jose Taiko Weekend Intensive in late August. If it’s not time to perform, it’s time to study!

OS Taiko Classes
We are currently in the second week of both Introduction to Taiko and Taiko Power!, our highly successful 4-week class for women and girls. In July, there’s a 4-week session of Adult Recreational Taiko (ART). We’ve expanded summer benefits for currently enrolled students and members, so that, in addition to free qi gong and tai chi classes, they may attend Community Group Track sessions, Open Improvisation and Lab sessions, and Taiko for Life for free! Taiko for Life, our free flowing drop-in class, continues at 1pm on Wednesdays through June and July

We take August off from teaching, but the Community Group will continue from 10am-noon each Saturday. The Fall ART session, our 12-week basics unit—begins in early September on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4:30pm. If you’d like to come check out our studio and classes, email karen@tucsontaiko.org, or drop by 1013 S. Tyndall on Saturdays in June and July between 10am and 4:30pm.

Camps and Workshops
Summer also means school is over and it’s time for the camps and workshops. Below are a few Odaiko Sonora is involved with or hosting at the Odaiko Sonora SPACE:

Tabla Week, June 25–29, approx. 9am–4pm @ Odaiko Sonora SPACE, 1013 S. Tyndall. $150
Todd Hammes has been luminary in the Tucson percussion world for nearly two decades. He will soon be moving permanently to Wisconsin, so we encourage folks to take this last chance to study with this fabulous teacher. The tabla intensive is a five-day intensive on the basic forms of the Benarasi Style of Tabla playing. Designed for young adults and adults who want to get into playing tabla seriously, or beginners who have some musical training, these workshops will provide a good idea of what the tabla is all about. Each day includes an Intermediate Group Lesson from10:00 to 11:30 am, a Beginning Group Lesson from noon to 1:30 pm, and an All Group Practice from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Class size is limited. You must have your own tabla (see www.kalakendar.com). Contact Todd: 886-9187, tmhammes@aol.com

Fenster Ranch Camp, July 2– 6, 11am–3:30pm, ages 5–11
This is the oldest running summer camp program in southern Arizona. This year it’s nine one-week sessions run through July 27, and Odaiko Sonora will lead the special activity during the week of July 2–6. See http://fenstercamp.com/ for more info and to register.
Julie Baron, Odaiko Sonora Wellness Coordinator will conduct a workshop on Sunday, July 1 from 1pm to 3pm. Learn what is qi gong is, how it benefits you, and how to incorporate the practice into your life. This introductory class is appropriate for all levels. Call 256-9445 for information on registering.

So Much for So Little!

$10/month is all it takes to help Odaiko Sonora ensure that over 10,000 southern Arizonans each year are able to enjoy high quality taiko performance, and that the studio we have established continues as one of the few incubator spaces dedicated to serving the performing arts community in our region. Please consider becoming a Friend of Odaiko Sonora today by contacting karen@tucsontaiko.org, calling (520) 327-1228 or simply going to our website and clicking on the button below to donate online:

Arigato gozaimashita!