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Mark H Rooney Taiko

Taiko Instructor & Performer

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Meet the Artist: Michelle Fujii & Toru Watanabe of Unit Souzou

01.11.2021 by Heather Mitchell-Buck //

Join us for the third of four virtual Meet the Artist concerts featuring our amazing CONNECT 2021 instructors!

Help us keep the CONNECT spirit going until we’re all able to get together safely in person once more – join us for an evening of performance and conversation on Zoom!

In addition to Michelle and Toru, our Meet the Artist event will also feature the other members of Unit Souzou ensemble as part of the program.

About Michelle & Toru

Unit SouzouUnit Souzou was founded in 2014 by Co-directors Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe, relentless innovators at the forefront of a growing artistic movement within the taiko community. They met at Warabi-za, Japan’s foremost traditional folk dance troupe located in Northern Japan. Michelle was awarded the prestigious Bunka-cho fellowship from the Japanese government. Toru was a professional company member appearing in six original musical productions and teaching within Warabiza’s in-house residency program for youth. Through their 25 years of professional experience, both have worked with numerous North American and international taiko groups including San Jose Taiko, On Ensemble, TaikoArts Midwest and Kagemusha Taiko in the UK.

About Unit Souzou

“Souzou” can be written in three ways meaning “creation” (創造), “imagination” (想像), or “noisy” (騒々), alluding to a force by which new ideas are born and take shape in the world. Inspired by these words, the mission of Unit Souzou is to build creative, imaginative works while honoring the history and roots of the taiko art form. The core of Unit Souzou’s artistic voice is personal and authentic, sound shaped and inspired by form and by movement. The essence of Unit Souzou is an expressive blend of taiko and Japanese folk dance, forging new traditions for evolving communities. In addition to creating groundbreaking professional theatrical works, Unit Souzou is deeply committed to share taiko through community performances and collaborations, public classes for adults and youth, and school-based education programs.

Please join us

This is a FREE event, but you will need to register since there are a limited number of virtual seats available.

Register Here!

 

Please support this and future events!

If you are able to make a donation in order to support our artists as well as The Mark H Rooney Taiko School and its various future programs, it will be most appreciated! Not sure how much to give? We have humbly recommended a donation of between $10 – $20 for previous Meet the Artist events.

 

Donate via PayPal
Donate via Venmo

@MarkHRooney

Tags // CONNECT 2021, Meet the Artist

Next up in our Meet the Artist series: Michelle Fujii & Toru Watanabe!

01.11.2021 by Heather Mitchell-Buck //

Michelle Fujii & Toru Watanabe

Thanks to everyone who has joined us for our VIRTUAL Meet the Artist events featuring Yurika Chiba and David Wells! It has been amazing to see so many members of our taiko community (both here in the DC area and from farther afield!) gathered on Zoom. We’ve had a blast with these awesome artists as they have played some of their favorite pieces, shared works-in-progress, discussed their influences, answered audience questions, and more.

We are excited to announce the next event in this series featuring our CONNECT 2021 instructors! Help us keep the CONNECT spirit going until we’re all able to get together safely in person once more – join us for an evening of performance and conversation on Zoom.

These are FREE concerts, but you will need to register since there are a limited number of virtual seats available.

Next up …
Michelle Fujii & Toru Watanabe (featuring Unit Souzou ensemble!)

Unit Souzou

Saturday, January 30, 2021
8:00pm EST

More info

WITH ONE MORE GREAT EVENT NEXT MONTH!

We’ll wrap up this awesome series with Ryo Shimamoto in February 2021. Stay tuned – all the details on that will be coming your way soon.

Categories // Performances Tags // CONNECT 2021, Meet the Artist

Meet the Artist: David Wells

12.04.2020 by Heather Mitchell-Buck //

Join us for the second of four virtual Meet the Artist concerts featuring our amazing CONNECT 2021 instructors!

Help us keep the CONNECT spirit going until we’re all able to get together safely in person once more – join us for an evening of performance and conversation on Zoom!

About David

David WellsDavid Wells began his musical journey as a clarinet player under the guidance of his father, a professional jazz musician. In 2003, he discovered Stanford Taiko, performing internationally with the group and eventually serving as Artistic co-Director. Since then, David has trained extensively and has performed with such groups as the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, TAIKOPROJECT, Prota, On Ensemble, and Unit Souzou. He is an instructor at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute, an enthusiastic workshop leader, and an avid composer.

Please join us

This is a FREE event, but you will need to register since there are a limited number of virtual seats available.

Register Here!

 

Please support this and future events!

If you are able to make a donation in order to support our artists as well as The Mark H Rooney Taiko School and its various future programs, it will be most appreciated! Not sure how much to give? We have humbly recommended a donation of between $10 – $20 for previous Meet the Artist events.

 

Donate via PayPal
Donate via Venmo

@MarkHRooney

Tags // CONNECT 2021, Meet the Artist

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Meet the Artist Series

meet the artist

Join world-renowned taiko artists in an informal, intimate … read more

Taiko Voices

Mark H Taiko’s First Online “Meet the Artist” by Lee Blank

December 8, 2020 By Linda Lombardi

Building community and supporting other artists are founding principles of … [Read More...]

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Events & Workshops

Sat 30

Meet the Artist: Michelle Fujii & Toru Watanabe of Unit Souzou

January 30 @ 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
United States

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Random Acts of Taiko

THIS SATURDAY at 8 PM EST! Mark H Taiko presents a THIS SATURDAY at 8 PM EST! Mark H Taiko presents another in our virtual “Meet the Artist” series - featuring Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe AND Unit Souzou ensemble! #virtualMeettheArtist #MHTpresents #unitsouzou
Happy New Year! Look - shiny and new! A new year n Happy New Year! Look - shiny and new! A new year now and... nothing is different... Still a pandemic, still political ridiculousness, still unemployed. But somehow, I have a sense of optimism for the future! Forward and forward, 2021!! #forwardandforward
“...it’s been emotional...” Trying not to lo “...it’s been emotional...” Trying not to lose the hard-learned lessons of this year but really ready to move forward. #2020weOUT
Our small Christmas crew befits our little Holiday Our small Christmas crew befits our little Holiday Celebration. Wishing everyone near and far a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful Holiday Season and Hopeful 2021 - From Kristen, Mark, Roxie, Bella, and Rocket #randomactsofliving #HolidaySeason2020
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About Mark H

Mark H Rooney studies, performs, and teaches taiko: a dynamic form of full-body drumming based in Japanese tradition. Mark combines that traditional foundation with a modern sensibility to create performances and classes that are full of energy, endurance, and excitement!

Interested in bringing taiko to your school, organization, or event? Contact Mark H. Mark will work with you to tailor a workshop or performance to meet your needs…
#randomactsoftaiko

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