Emily in Osaka again, Paris not in sight!
GOCOO's Osaka Show "Resonance Way of Life, Vol. 3." And hey, it's been a while!
Once again, I drop off the face of substack and emerge with more interesting experiences I’m excited to share with you. The next excerpt that will be released over the next few weeks and will be looking at 3 matsuri or festival.
Before I dive into that, I wanted to share a little bit from the GOCOO Osaka show (fresh off the presses), and I haven’t experienced anything like it before. Possibly my first show this scale in Japan as support staff.
Despite their casual, free spirited appearance, this crew should not be taken lightly in terms of hard work and dedication. The members drove in a typhoon for 12 hours, the next day rehearsed at what appeared to be 100% intensity from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (with breaks of course), and then rehearsed some more before the show the following day. Oh and the show itself was…90 minutes? P.S., every GOCOO member plays every piece.
Most of the band mates have jobs outside of taiko to support themselves too, as it’s an expensive world out there. It’s a lot of work to be in a professional taiko group.
Despite the exhaustion and excitement the group has, they maintain a welcoming and thoughtful vibe. They try to include me in conversation or anything related to the group. Sometimes, they try to talk to me in English, or they just smile and thank me for being there.
Today's performance reminded me why I play taiko and why I chose to stay with Kaoly san. The show was an insight of what a full taiko saga could look like. The lighting was very purposeful and told a story. There were beyond life size puppeteers (Giant Steps) and gongs representing the galaxy (GIZA) that created sounds what I imagined to play dance on its own soundwaves and transcend normal force that would typical cause an earache.
Of course I can’t help but reflect about my experience in America. Just as the pandemic started, Ho Etsu was beginning a tour of our show EMERGENT, and after the pandemic, we also did a 90 minute show. Could I see us doing what GOCOO did? I can’t attest for the financials in Japan, but to rent the space and the lighting, design, and sound staff, producer, and stage crew for 2 full days, and especially, ask the members to commit to something like this is a tall ask. But, we did a smaller version of it that we considered required a significant amount of time. Ho Etsu doesn’t have any full time employees, and often doesn’t get paid for performances outside of food, travel, and accommodations, which I also have learned is more than what many groups offer their performing members. Rambles and thinking…
But yes, Ho Etsu doesn’t have any full time employees, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s possible? My honest answer is it’s sure, but it ain’t favorable as unlike Japan, our health insurance system isn’t universal and the systems in place are set up in favor of giant organizations.
I attended one of the town hall meetings of TaikoVentures, an LLC run by dedicated people who have been in the North American taiko community for a long time, whose mission is to support taiko vocationists (professionals). I’m excited to see what becomes of it, and you can find more below:
TaikoVentures is a grassroots effort to provide stability and administrative support for individuals who earn their living in the Taiko Economy. It is a revolutionary experiment that has the potential to serve as a model for other arts economies. You can stay up to date here:
https://taikoventures.com/
Is there anything you’d like me to write about in the future? Some current thoughts are evaluating the kinematics of the GOCOO/ TAWOO style of playing (thank you biomechanics thesis and grad school!), a realistic examination of the finances of what I’m doing, or taking you through a typical rehearsal and what you can expect. I am also open to a Q&A, as not many folks from America have done something like this before. Otherwise, beware my rambles!
OH! AND FOOD. I didn’t get to see much of Osaka, but we stopped in Nagoya on the drive home and I had some of the best miso ramen of my life (a Nagoya specialty) at a highway rest stop. Also, here is a photo of what the Shizuoka highway rest stop. No surprise, Japan’s highway rest stops have incredible food options and omiyage (gift) stores compared to what you can find in America. Think local, fresher, and often healthy comparatively (still overpriced, and yet still more reasonable than what you can usually find).
As my students say, “That’s it!”
Written on 6/4/2023