Forty-seven years after taiko debuted at the Powell Street Festival, it’s coming back in a big way to this year’s event. Eight different groups, each with their own style, will deliver free performances on two separate stages.
The ever-popular Onibana Taiko 鬼花太鼓, comprised of E. Kage and NoriNori, will kick things off on the Street Stage (Jackson Avenue and Alexander Street) at 2:30 p.m. on Friday (August 2). According to the Powell Street Festival Society website, the duo “blends kick-ass taiko with traditional Japanese folk art forms and a fierce feminist queer punk aesthetic”.
Back in 2021, Onibana Taiko performed a 29.5-hour durational drumming marathon on the roof of the Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall. It was a healing ceremony to honour the spirits of former residents of the Downtown Eastside as the neighbourhood was in the midst of the toxic-drug crisis, growing homelessness, and rising poverty due to the pandemic.
Onibana Taiko continues to present an evolving version of “Reverberation”. The society describes it as “a piece that journeys through the trauma of displacement caused by Japanese Canadian internment, blending contemporary sounds to reflect current struggles”.
Later on Friday, from 4 to 5 p.m., Chibi Taiko ちび太鼓 will be on the Diamond Stage in Oppenheimer Park. When it formed in 1993, it was Canada’s first youth taiko drumming ensemble.
Next at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sawagi Taiko さわぎ太鼓 will perform on the same stage. The term Sawagi means “cause a commotion”, according to the Powell Street Festival Society website. And a commotion is precisely what these multigenerational women of East Asian and Indigenous ancestry generate with powerful drumming, energetic vocals, and martial-arts-inspired movements.
Five taiko groups perform on Sunday
Meanwhile, at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday (August 3), another youth group, Go Taiko Go 太鼓, will perform on the Street Stage. Then at 1 p.m. on the Diamond Stage, Canada Miyake Taiko Kai カナダ三宅太鼓会, an official branch of Miyake Jima Geinou Doushi Kai, will demonstrate its low-stance form of drumming.
A third drumming group on Sunday will be Sansho Daiko 山椒太鼓. It takes its name from a spicy red pepper known as sansho, and its members wear masks and use pre-recorded sounds. Sansho Daiko will be on the Street Stage at 5 p.m.
“Sansho Daiko can trace its roots directly to the birth of taiko in Canada, while integrating members who trained in Japan,” the Powell Street Festival Society states. “The members of the group share a love of experimentation and exploration. Like its namesake spice, Sansho Daiko seeks to infuse the west coast taiko scene with a little heat.”
That’s not all. On the Street Stage at 6 p.m. on Friday, Vancouver Okinawa Taiko バンクーバー沖縄太鼓 will demonstrate Okinawan folk traditions. It accomplishes this with drumming and dancing mixed with contemporary Okinawan music. Some members of this troupe have large body-held drums whereas others carry hand-held drums. Here in Vancouver, they’re maintaining folk traditions from the southernmost archipelago off the coast of mainland Japan.
Paueru Gai district comes alive
The final taiko troupe of the festival will be Jodaiko 女太鼓, which will be on the Diamond Stage at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“Founded in 1988 to provide a creative outlet for women performing with the confines of a then largely male-dominated cultural tradition, Jodaiko now embraces artists of varying identities who share a passion for wadaiko,” the Powell Street Festival Society states. “Following the custom of returning for the hometown matsuri, Jodaiko members gather together for Powell Street Festival to celebrate, cut loose, eat, and drum!”
Back in 1979, San Jose Taiko Group was the first taiko troupe to perform at the Powell Street Festival. Its visit inspired the formation later that year of Vancouver-based Katari Taiko, which was the first group of its kind in Canada.
Anchored in Oppenheimer Park, the Powell Street Festival also includes artistic, literary, and educational events at nearby locations in the historic Paueru Gai district. The area along and around Powell Street is the ancestral home of so many Japanese Canadians.
“The Festival takes place within the legacy of the 1942 forced removal of Japanese Canadians, and in the broader context of displacement experienced by Indigenous peoples and other communities in the Downtown Eastside,” society board president Russell Chiong said in a news release. “We are honoured to return each year and collaborate with our neighbours to share a rich cultural experience that connects and strengthens our community.”
The Powell Street Festival will take place on Saturday (August 2) and Sunday (August 3) in the Paueru Gai district of Vancouver. For more information, visit the website. Follow Pancouver on Instagram @PancouverMedia and on Bluesky @pancouver.
