Drum Tao thunders into the MAC Stage March 12
On Saturday, March 12, Drum Tao 2022 brings extraordinary musicianship and exciting athleticism to the McAninch Arts Center with performances at 3 and 7 p.m.
This performance is part of Drum Tao's 2022 North American Tour. A free pre-show discussion provided by College of DuPage percussion professor Ben Wahlund will begin one hour prior to each performance in MAC Room 140.
Drum Tao showcases the world's foremost performers in Japanese taiko drumming. Hailed for its fiery and athletic drumming routines, the group presents a large-scale performance experience featuring the incomparable Wadaiko drums, beautiful melody of Japanese flutes and harps, energizing choreography and contemporary costuming to captivate audiences' eyes and ears.
More than 8 million spectators across the world have experienced Drum Tao's edgy, high-energy performances. The Chicago Tribune hails them as "Extraordinarily talented percussion artists, … seductive, alluring performers," and the Miami Herald, "Supernaturally fit and superbly trained … Fully deserving of the standing ovation that the company receives."
The team behind Drum Tao 2022 includes founding member and president Ikuo Fujitaka (stage director), acclaimed Japanese fashion designer Junko Koshin (costume designer) and four performance teams who must be masterful musicians, artists and athletes.
Drum Tao formed in 1993 with an original cast of seven members. In 2000, while remaining centered in Kyushu, they reached 1 million tickets sold and established TAO Village on a 40,000 square meter plot in Aso Kuju National Park. Since then, Drum Tao has become known as Japanese entertainment for a new generation. In February 2016, Drum Tao's Off-Broadway shows in New York were completely sold out. Their new long-run production "Mangekyo," started in Tokyo in 2017, became widely popular. It was later expanded into 2018 and was also performed from April 2019 through the year of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Also in 2017, they made their major recording debut from Universal Music with a compilation of their work for 25 years, which ranked as one of the top three in the iTunes World Album Ranking in five different countries. In 2018, they performed in the opening ceremony of "Japonisms 2018" in Paris, France and co-starred with the Bolshoi Ballet as the opening act of "Japan Year in Russia" held at The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Drum Tao's honors and awards include Outstanding Cultural Contribution from Oita prefecture, Culture Creators Award from Taketa city in Oita prefecture, and The 6th Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Award and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Award from the Japanese government.
Drum Tao 2022 comes to McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage, with performances at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12.
Tickets are $40-$49. For tickets or more information, visit AtTheMAC.org or call the MAC box office at (630) 942-4000. The box office is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and one hour prior to performance.
A free pre-show discussion provided by COD Percussion Professor Ben Wahlund will begin one hour prior to each performance in MAC Room 140.