As a taiko player, have you seen someone else have an intense emotional, physical, or other response while playing or watching taiko? Please elaborate.
| no |
| Yes, many, many times. On one occasion I remember a woman coming backstage in tears asking to give me a hug saying ‘I came into this hall broken, but you have healed me.’ Also kids parents always telling me how taiko has affected their children positively, especially kids with disability |
| Yes I’ve seen people cry during Tawoo and Gocoo pieces. Audience and prrformers. I also saw children dance from taikk pieces because they were so moved they couldn’t sit still.. also have seen audience react like it’s a sporting event because they’re so hyped up. So sorry for the typos. I’m doing this on my phone, so please lmk if something doesn’t make sense!!! |
| I think Annick Robberecht is the most inspiring woman I know. If you see her play you can feel the profound joy and energy she gets from taiko. I hope 1 day I can inspire others like that |
| crying because it freed up some stuck emotions |
| no, sorry…. maybe I have been more focused on my own needs. |
| yes during performance |
| Yes. I saw people becoming emotional when playing taiko |
| Yes, at a retreat with Kaoly Asano. I had one and other people were crying while and after playing. |
| Yes, this lady eats, drinks, sleeps taiko |
| Sometimes it can indeed be intense, and yes that s happening also thanks to the group spirit |
| Yes, many times. That’s why I want to organize taiko, so I can facilitate people to find the ‘magic’ of taiko. |
| Some people almost cry when you perform. I saw some people lose a lot of weight. And I saw depressed people getting more happy. |
| since the lock downs, i heard many players complaining about shoulder problems… |
| Yes, I saw my teacher reacting very happy and surprised when my beginners group sounded as one. |
| Too many to tell. Taiko is not something you feel neutral about. And it affects people in different ways. |
| I have never saw someone to have no positive response by watching taiko. When playing things get even better |
| Little kids love it when they are invited to come over and play after the performance, if the situation allows it. |
| Yes |
| My attachment trauma (to effect of which I was blind to until I began practicing) has manifested through the practice, and for the first time I was able to see myself. Not only this, I firmly believe that the vibration, the pain(and the change of relationship with it) and the connection between the players somehow releases packed stored-away suffering. I’ve played Miyake weekly, for 2 hours and on several occasions during the strenuous process I have been put through some intense “episodes” (old memories coming up, strange sensation in body parts, shaking) that I have chalked up to “old baggage falling out”. I guess trauma released? I don’t know. It has changed me and I feld much lighter. |
| Mainly from the little kids who watch who are free enough in their bodies still to join in and either try to drum or dance to the drum beats. |
| I’ve seen performers with the big smile on their faces. I have seen them embarrassed add a mistake. I’ve seen viewers jars drop at what was being performed |
| Dancing, tears, smiles from the audience. A shy child lighting up when they finally get the courage to hit the drum. I often burst out laughing while playing if something particularly fun happens (audience energy, toddler starts jumping, shouting or dancing – or clapping their hands over their ears, smile connection with my fellow drummer, a fleeting moment when the group clicks and is *so* together etc.). My former group also got feedback after performances that showed us how much people were affected – that maybe we couldn’t have noticed in the moment. For example, people who’ve been inspired to draw/paint a picture of our group or a player and give it to us after, one man who was inspired to write a poem and emailed it to us afterwards, a Japanese Consul’s wife who wrote how moved she was, another Japanese person saying she was moved to tears to see mostly non-Japanese people playing taiko and giving her a nostalgic feeling of home. Stuff like that. |
| Yes, all the time. One time that stands out was after we had performed, a man and his wife, who was in a wheelchair, came up to tell us how much they enjoyed the show and had never seen anything like it. They asked if our group would take a picture with his wife. We surrounded her wheelchair and gave her a pair of bachi for the picture, and she was so overcome with emotion. That made me cry too after it was over, that she was in a wheelchair, unable to jump and dance as we had, and we made her feel happy through our playing. |
| I think for some players, especially ones of high expertise, playing can be a emotional rather than transactional experience. You can really tell when a player is putting their all into the playing, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. |
| Yes, but I’d rather not. It’s not my story to tell. |
| No |
| I have seen a particular individual turn their life around from wasting time to passionate taiko professional in just a few years. |
| I have seen many kids and young people with disabilities literally bounce and jump around when the group plays their first hits together. The sheer noise is a physical impetus for them to move their bodies and express their happiness. |
| Yes. All of the above. Taiko effects everyone differently. |
| I have seen people cry when they begin playing. I think sometimes the sounds open up hurt or trauma in people. But I have also seen people overjoyed with happiness when they play. |
| Yes. I saw people struggling with themselves, because they wanted to understand and play things faster as their mind and body could. Some of them sort of locked themselves in, some didn‘t want help from others. |
| Yes, many many times. I work with Taiko contests, so these kind of taiko intense emotions are even more intense. |
| Yes. But too many to list! I’ve seen non-taiko players take a workshop, break down in tears and then pour out their tragic life story to me (complete stranger) which was utterly unlike how they had presented themselves. Taiko caused the facade to crack. |
| I saw/see people who battle with their ability to play due to health issues. They are making ends meet to keep going and struggle with symptoms of depression if Taiko is not available. |
| In Japan, you here/see taiko during the festival/celebration, but not for other culture, so when I saw someone from other culture started crying and left the room where we were performing. |
| No |
| No |
| Not specially |
| I have seen people freak out when I play locally. In rural Pennsylvania, it isn’t something that is common for most people, so they can be pretty shocked when they see it. Some break out into martial arts, others just stand their enraptured (assuming I’m playing well that day). |
| Yes! At the 2019KaDon Retreat! While playing through Eleven, one participant was completely overcome/overwhelmed! It was like seeing someone immersed into another world/reality! |
| Certainly! For many people it’s about being challenged and being confronted with their the things they cannot do or cannot do yet. And experiencing this in a group situation can be especially difficult. But on the other hand many people have experienced for the first time in their lifes, that they can actually actively make music. In our culture, where we’ve lost so much of our social connections and music as a binding force, that is very valuable! |
| When it comes to a little concert, I always try to connect with the audience when I’m on the stage and if it happens it’s always joyful – for each of us 🙂 But I also love seeing those wonderous looks in my teamates eyes when we experience some great moments together. These moments silent me – and that means something! 😀 |
| no |
| We were performing for disabled veterans and the sound made some of them leave. It brought on PTSD issues. |
| I have seen joy and happiness on the faces of players after an especially good performance or when playing community pieces together. I have also seen tears and frustration during challenging or physically exhausting workshops. I also remember admiration and joy from an audience member who later became one of our most active members. |
| The performers in my group are very joyful when they play |
| Yes, I have notices so many emotions playing the taiko. From laughter to tears. |
| No |
| If I see an intense response it is always 100% crying. For both watching and playing. It happens to people for different reasons depending on where they are in life. While playing it can be joy, frustration or a release. While watching people may get overwhelmed with the feeling in their body, think something is beautiful or they are older and it connects them to their youth. |
| Sure many times I could feel in the skin intense emotion of people playing, and this totally independently by their skill. I believe taiko is more emotionally involving when you play than when you listen…but before playing I saw taiko just two times… |