The Lively Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is
bringing Drum TAO: Seventeen Samurai directly from Japan to Fisher Auditorium.
This high-energy performance is part of the 2015–16 Ovations! series and will
be held on Tuesday, February 9, at 8:00 p.m. in Fisher Auditorium of
IUP’s Performing Arts Center.
Originating in 1993, Drum TAO is one of Japan’s most
celebrated company of martial arts drummers with hundreds of sold-out shows and
more than six million spectators to their credit. The group proves again and
again that the traditional art of Japanese Taiko drumming is timeless.
Taiko drumming has been a rich part of Japanese culture.
Drums were used over the centuries in many ways, from moving troops to becoming
part of an offer prayer to the gods.
Drum TAO possesses extraordinary precision, energy, and
stamina. The performers that take the stage are both highly trained athletes
and highly expressive artists. The fitness level needed to play the 1.7-meter
high and 900-pound drums is immense, not to mention the elaborate choreographic
routines. The group accomplishes this, in part, with up to 10 hours a day in
their private training center located on Kyushu in Japan.
Tickets for this event are available now, either online or the Lively Arts’ online ticketing website. They can also be purchased at the
Hadley Union Building ticket office on the IUP campus or by calling the HUB
ticket office at (724) 357-1313.
Any seats remaining will be sold at the door starting one
hour prior to the performance. Tickets are priced at $40 for regular admission,
$34 for seniors and groups, and $18 for students and children. This show,
infused with music, dance, art, and humor, is appropriate for all ages.
For more information on this and other events within the
Lively Arts, call (724) 357-2787 (ARTS) or e-mail lively-arts@iup.edu.
The Ovations! series is funded, in part, by donations
through the Premiere Club, business sponsorships, grants, and the IUP Student
Cooperative Association. The Lively Arts, a program of the College of Fine
Arts, presents nearly 200 performances, programs, and exhibits annually.