Uzume Taiko is West Coast Canada’s premiere professional taiko drumming group. Performing both nationally and internationally since 1988, the group performs their unique West Coast Canadian taiko drumming style to different audiences, creating shows to perform at festivals, concert halls, schools, corporate and VIP events. Uzume Taiko celebrates the rhythm of life itself with shows that wow audiences of all ages through a uniquely theatrical blend of music and dance. The drummers of Uzume Taiko lead workshops in the art of taiko drumming at community workshops and classes throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Uzume Taiko has garnered much praise for their cross-boundary musical collaborations with artists such as the Mearingstone Pipe Band, Ben Rogalsky (folk/roots), the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and Dave Corman (guitars/keyboards).
The name Uzume Taiko is derived from taiko, the Japanese word for “big drum” and from the goddess of laughter, Ame No Uzume No Mikoto – the Heavenly Alarming Female who, according to legend, first began taiko drumming.
Internationally renowned, Uzume Taiko has performed throughout the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Japan, with performances at the Japan America Theatre in Los Angeles, the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, Scotland, the Bath Festival in the UK and the Chautauqua Festival in New York State. The group has also toured extensively across Canada to Newfoundland’s Wreckhouse Jazz, Soundshift and Sound Symposium Festivals and around the Lower Mainland at venues including the Vancouver Playhouse, the Vogue Theatre and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, as well as at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the International Jazz Festival.
