Photo: Jane Eaton Hamilton
Katari Taiko is the first taiko group to form in Canada. The group operates as a collective. Their goal is to develop a form of Asian Canadian culture that incorporates the following elements: discipline, physical strength, grace, non-sexism, musical creativity.
Katari Taiko wishes to achieve technical excellence as a group within a collective spirit. A basic assumption is that the strengthening of each individual member will result in the strengthening of the group as a whole. Thus, the responsibility of coordinating practices and group activities is rotated among the members. Each member is expected to be able to act as spokesperson for the group and to provide criticism and encouragement for the other members. Rules are kept to a minimum and established only as the need arises.
The group hopes to inspire other Asian Canadians to explore their community and culture. In keeping with this desire, they have given workshops to groups in Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Seattle, Victoria, and Kamloops. They also give regular open workshops in Vancouver to enable the general public to get a feeling for taiko and to serve as cultural exchange between Canadians of diverse ethnic backgrounds.