If the student audience at the Reichhold Center for the Arts expected somber traditional Japanese drumming, those were dispelled quickly with the leaping rhythms of six female dancer/drummers, whose sounds and movement were as thrilling as fireworks.
The Reichhold Center brought over 500 students from 18 public and private school across St. Thomas and St. John for a free performance Friday by COBU, a team of Japan-New York fusion dancing drummers or drumming dancers, mixing elements of Japanese traditional Taiko drumming with tap and other dance forms.
Afterwards, Jake Heileman, a senior at Sts Peter and Paul School, gave the performance a glowing review.
"It was exciting just to watch their dynamic, energetic movement," Heileman said. "Just when I thought they’d been doing the same thing a little too long, they would mix it up, bringing on a new instrument or beat. The sounds that came from six people were what I’d expect from a much larger group."
Yvonne E. Milliner-Bowsky fifth grader Quiannah Potter agreed with Heileman.
"It was fun," Potter said. "I liked how they dressed and their hair, and the beat to their music made me want to dance. It’s cool because they don’t just act shy; they are into their music."
Potter’s assessment is spot on. Team COBU incorporate stepping, staff fighting, gymnastics and tap dance into a colorful, athletic and fast-moving thrill ride.
Led by director and performer Yako Miyamoto, who has spent a number of years in the cast of the long-running Broadway show "Stomp!", the team is sure to have hearts pounding at Saturday night’s performance.
Hana Ogata, Yuki Yamamori, Micro Fukuyama, Haruna Hisada and Nozomi Gunji make up the rest of the dancing/drumming team, playing traditional Taiko drums and samisens (a kind of Japanese banjo.)
After Friday’s performance students got to ask questions.
"How much do you practice?" asked one student.
Five hours a day, the troop responded through an interpreter.
The response was met with oooos and ahhhs of respect.
"How are your drums made?" asked one elementary school student.
"From oak and cowhide," Miyamoto told the audience.
Student and teachers and even a couple of reporters were later invited to try out, following Miyamoto’s direction on the drums. The students seemed to have shown the most talent.
"Several of the students have got a really good sense of rhythm," Miyamoto said through an interpreter.
The performance is reminiscent of "Stomp!" in which dancers get a beat out of everything from trash cans to spoons to road signs.
COBU kicks off the Reichhold’s 2009-2010 season in a full performance Saturday at 7 p.m. Upcoming residency performances for students include Ballet Hispanico, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Black Violin and Vivian Green.
The COBU performance for students is sponsored by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, the V.I. Department of Education and the Reichhold Center.
Tickets for Saturday’s performance are still available for $32, $20 and $13 and can be purchased at the Reichhold Center box office, the UVI Bookstore, Urban Threads in Havensight, V.I. Bridal and Tuxedo in Tutu Park Mall and at Home Again in Red Hook. For more information, contact Reichhold at 693-1559.
