Documentary | DVD
Directors/Producers: Steven Dung, Dianne Fukami, gayle k. yamada
Ethnicity: Japanese
Subjects: Art & Performance, Asia, Identity, Youth
Hosted by percussionist Sheila Escovedo, a.k.a. Sheila E, THE SPIRIT OF TAIKO chronicles “taiko” drumming in the United States over the past 40 years through the reflections and memories of several artists, both American and Japanese. It connects the history and the individual, the intellectual view and the passion of the art, as well as the future of the art form through the eyes and experiences of renowned musicians including taiko master Seiichi Tanaka, Kinnara Taiko, Kenny Endo and PJ Hirabayashi. The documentary also includes bonus footage of four dynamic musical performances in their entirety.