Taiko meets Indian taal at this fusion music performance

A scene featuring taiko drummers with katsugiokedo a drummer playing odaiko and the dancersUnder hazy blue and yellow lights the stage vibrates with rustic sounds of Japanese taiko drums and sweet metallic notes of ghungroos as an ensemble plays off both the performance styles on a floor covered with dirt Connected to the earth through a strong stance the taiko drummers produce powerful sounds using drum sticks Flecks of dust fly off the ground as six performers match their beats with fluid Indian Classical dance moves derived from Bharatanatyam and KuchipudiThe scene Of The Fields transforms the stage floor into a circle of dirt where the dancers and drummers interactThe lights dim the scene changes and Riley Lee a grandmaster of the Japanese shakuhachi flute plays a meditative melody on the endblown bamboo flute introduced to Japan by China back in the late seventh century The two scenes Of The Fields and Cascading Waterfall are part of the eight that comprise an 80minute performance Chi Udaka Pieced together by two Australian companies Taikoz and Lingalayam Indian Classical Dance Company it debuts in Mumbai next week as part of an India tour sponsored by the Australian Government the Australia India Council and ArtsNSWRiley Lee grandmaster of the Japanese shakuhachi flute plays soloThe back storyThe seed for Chi Udaka mdash Chi means earth in Japanese and Udaka means water in Sanskrit mdash was sown 20 years ago when Anandavalli the choreographer and artistic director of Lingalayam watched Lee at a performance ldquoI was mesmerised and intrigued to discover that he played with taiko players It was a perfect partnership that honoured the traditional roots of their music while allowing their individual artistic practice to growrdquo says the dancer who approached Ian Cleworth the artistic director at Taikoz in 2011 to collaborate for an IndoJapanese performance which shaped up as Chi UdakaDancerchoreographer AnandavalliThe scenesComprising a Sydneybased 14member ensemble mdash with six dancers five taiko players and three musicians on shakuhachi vocals and cello mdash the performance celebrates life as experienced in the course of a single day ldquoThe scenes reflect the mood character and feelings of different times of the day and night mdash from the breath of a faint breeze in the morning to the intensity of the noon sun and a final moment of exhalation at midnightrdquo informs CleworthMridangam connectCleworth composed an 80page long original score for the performance The music improvises upon Wadaiko rhythms used in taiko drumming and Honkyoku music originally played by Zen monks used for the Japanese flute It also takes cues from mridangam rhythms ldquoAnandavalli introduced me to rhythm configurations Our highpitched shimedaiko a small Japanese drum corresponds to the right hand of the mridangam and our lower taiko corresponds to the left hand of the mridangam However it is not an imitation of the instrumentrdquo he sharesDance to the beatChoreographing the performance was a challenge reveals Anandavalli ldquoOf The Fields is a complex score When Taikoz first played Ianrsquos score at the rehearsal I got an instant headache I could not fathom how to choreograph the score I had to isolate my thinking process and start from the basics in stringing together rhythmical patterns that would fit into it Riley watched the rehearsal process and commented that he didnrsquot know that dancersrsquo feet could move that fastrdquo she recountsLee uses the oldest style of playing the shakuhachi developed within a Zen Buddhist context ldquoThe similarity between the shakuhachi and most Indian flutes is that they require patience dedication hours of practice and the guidance of a good teacherrdquo says the artiste who became the first nonJapanese to attain dai shihan grandmaster rank in 1980 and cofounded Taikoz with Cleworth in 1997Cleworth sums up ldquoDespite its derivation and respect towards traditional elements Chi Udaka reflects who we are as modern Australian artistes It strives to communicate universal ideasrdquo