Being cool was forgotten as the near-capacity crowd of students at the Milliken Auditorium leaped to their feat and gave the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble a standing ovation at the end of their hour-long program.
The mostly upper elementary crowd of school children and homeschoolers were transfixed by this traditional Japanese drumming performance, which was loud, proud and thoroughly captivating. The group played six songs for the audience, using a variety of drums and instruments, props and costumes.
"It was really cool," enthused David Buck, a sixth-grade student at the Grand Traverse Academy.
Classmate Paul Klug now wants to learn more about Japanese culture and history.
"It seems more interesting and I'd like to study it more," said Klug, adding of the performance: "I was surprised at how much they moved around, how physical it was."
The Toronto-based drumming group spent the weekend in the region, logging evening performances at the Crooked Tree Arts Center on Friday and the Milliken Auditorium on Saturday. The ensemble also led a workshop on Sunday afternoon at the Milliken for aspiring drummers. Their visit was supported by a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Kiyoshi Nagata founded the ensemble eight years ago and the group currently has nine members; six traveled to Michigan for the recent performers.
Drumming is an ancient art form in Japan, dating back 2,000 years. Each village had a taiko, or traditional drum, using it for religious ceremonies, to mark time, to communicate and to set boundaries. A village's territory was defined by how far the drum's reverberations could be heard. Drums were used in the 16th Century to rally troops or scare away enemies.
The art form was nearly lost after World War II during an intense quest to modernize. Taiko and traditional Japanese drumming has since undergone a revival of interest, with performers sharing the distinctive sound with enthusiastic audiences around the globe.
Musicians memorize the music as most of the pieces have been passed down from teacher to student over centuries. Members of the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble keep up to two hours of music in their head for their formal concerts. They play a mix of traditional songs as well as compositions by Nagata or other members.
"With traditional Japanese drumming, we have to memorize all the different drum patterns straight from our teacher, learning them verbally," said Nagata, who teaches taiko drumming at the University of Toronto. "Every drum stroke has a syllable and by using all these different syllables you can create all these complicated and different rhythms."
The drummers in the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble wear traditional Japanese working clothes made of cotton, styled after those worn by farmers or fisherman. On their feet are "mittens," or slippers with the big toe defined; the drummers have modified these standard Japanese socks to have rubber soles so they do not slip.
"We also wear headbands, to keep the sweat and the hair out of our eyes," Nagata noted.
The drums are made of a tree trunk, hollowed out, which in the old days were dried for seven years. The cowhide drum heads are permanently fixed onto the drum.
"Normally the drumstick will break before the drum breaks," said Nagata, replying to an audience query inspired by a broken drumstick in the final number.
As with all things Japanese, ceremony, ritual and tradition are the center of taiko drumming. The art form is about much more than making the music together as a group.
"Taiko is not just about the music, it's about using all of your heart, all of your spirit and all of your mind, combining it together," said Nagata.