How do drums reflect the heartbeat of a culture? Taiwanese musical troupe Ten Drum Art Percussion Group 十鼓擊樂團 takes the tradition of drumming and transforms it into a performance that resonates with people all over the world.
Their performances are not just stationary presentations of traditional drumming techniques. Ten Drum presents fantastic showcases where lighting design, martial arts, music, and story come together. Aligning with Asian Heritage Month, their North American tour “Taiwan Pulse” hits Gateway Theatre on May 27.
The CEO of Ten Drum Art Percussion Group, Yi Chin Chiang, shares with Pancouver over Zoom that their performances are like stage plays. Ten Drum incorporates thoughtfully designed visuals, dramatic movement and dance inspired by martial arts, and story elements from Taiwanese history. With music at the forefront, Ten Drum takes audiences on a journey through the nuances of Taiwanese culture.
Taiwan is an island nation that has a rich and complicated history of colonization, and multiculturalism. With these colonial influences from the Dutch, the Spanish, the Japanese, and the Chinese, special traditions emerged, giving way to cultural customs that are uniquely Taiwanese. “To be able to present this kind of cultural mix that represents Taiwan is an important element for us,” Chiang says. Ten Drum also draws inspiration from Taiwanese Indigenous legends and songs, arranging their melodies alongside the drums.
“We use music to tell stories,” Chiang says.
Ten Drum’s sound blends world music elements from across the globe with traditional drum techniques. The diverse instruments and their varying rhythms from Japan, South Korea, or the Middle East, is merged with the rhythm of Taiwanese drums. Despite Taiwan having experienced many foreign cultural influences, Chiang asserts that they have created a self-expression entirely their own.
The Heartbeat of Ten Drum
Hsieh Shi founded the group in the year 2000. His childhood was filled with the sound of the drums; his father, a Taoist priest, often led a group of musicians to perform at their temple. In Taiwan, traditional drums had a negative impression. There were stereotypes that the drummers are of low education. The Pat Ka Chiong, underworld gods from Chinese folk religion that appears at temple activities, is thought to have ties with gangsters. But Hsieh Shi held a deep love for the instrument, and so decided to form a group centred on the drums.
“Drums are something you see often in Taiwan’s everyday life,” Chiang says. “You can see it in the corner of the streets, in front of the temples. How do we bring this kind of drumming into the world of performing arts?”
The group elevates the traditional culture of the drums into a performing art that captivates audiences inside grand theatre halls. Each performance promises storytelling that immerses viewers in the culture and sound of Taiwan, presenting the island’s diverse cultural landscape with a thundering beat.
Ten Drum’s philosophy is made up of two pillars: preserving tradition for the next generation, and innovating the old. Throughout the years, the group has continuously experimented with these concepts.
“All cultural traditions must integrate local understandings and innovations. That is how they can continue to pass it on to the next generation, and the next,” Chiang says. “If a tradition remains stuck in its original concept, it is very easy for it to become lost. What is considered an innovation to a culture may very well be considered a tradition to the next generation.
“We hope to bring contemporary ways to express these traditional arts and culture.”
Watch this original composition by the founder of Ten Drum Art Percussion Group.
The Rhythm of Taiwanese Performing Arts
In 2007, the Ten Drum Cultural Creative Park opened in Tainan. Chiang explains that in Taiwan, the performing arts is a very tough profession. The unstable income prevent artists from exploring their trade to its full potential. Wanting to solve this, the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group created this park as a way to provide opportunities year round for their artists.
Without funding from the government or corporate sponsors, the park has become a space where the drums never stop. Visitors entering the park would be greeted by an earth-shaking drum performance, and continue to experience drum arts all the way into the performing hall. The performers have a stable line of work. They have the space to innovate the music, to share the art of drumming, and to grow their expertise in musical storytelling.
Building on these concepts and their philosophy, Ten Drum has prepared a performance that transcends borders and language. They take Taiwanese cultural elements such as the Pat Ka Chiong, which may appear scary with their painted masks, and translate it into a showcase that contemporary audiences can enjoy and learn from. In bringing these stories to new audiences, they also hope to pass on these cultural traditions to new generations.
“We are all—even the Taiwanese diaspora living overseas—we are all facing a new era of change,” Chiang says. “So we use the performing arts to express the current situation of Taiwan, and our shared efforts in facing these changes.”
For this tour, Ten Drum Art Percussion Group wants to highlight the potential of performing arts in Taiwan. Their mesmerizing performances reflect the ongoing cultural exchanges that take place within the island. Through music, Ten Drum invites the audiences in Canada to witness the vitality within Taiwanese culture, and within the next generation.
For ticketing information, visit Gateway Theatre’s website here. Special thanks to Judy Kang, Secretary Leader of the Metro Vancouver Overseas Taiwanese Society, for the interview.
