Pauline Adamek
Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 3pm; Tickets start at $36.00 available here.
From the press release:
Experience a thrilling, high-energy, and explosive interpretation of the centuries-old Taiko tradition. Yamato, The Drummers of Japan is a troupe that travels all over the world with Japan’s traditional Wadaiko drums, putting its very souls into the unusual instruments, whose sound stirs the hearts of people everywhere. Their virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance are astonishing. This past season marked Yamato’s 30th anniversary, celebrating over 3,500 performances in 54 countries, and reaching millions of fans young and old. Audience spirits are lifted to new levels with the drummers’ infectious sense of joy and entertainment.
Yamato, the Drummers of Japan, returns to The Soraya with Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix – a new production created to celebrate the company’s historic 30th Anniversary.
About Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix:
Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix recognizes the incredible global challenges as dawn begins to break in the world and all must climb new mountains with determination and confidence. The title of the group’s latest show references the mythical sunbird that represents fire, justice, obedience, fidelity, and the southern star constellations in Japanese culture. “Hinotori” translates to “good bird” in Japanese.
This new show captures all of Yamato’s virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance. Now in its 28th season (after canceling their North American tour because of the pandemic), the taiko troupe has reached millions of people around the globe through more than 4,000 performances—making them the group with the most international performances to date among all Japanese performing arts ensembles.
About Yamato, The Drummers of Japan:
Yamato, The Drummers of Japan, travels all over the world with Japan’s traditional Wadaiko drums, putting their very souls into the instruments, whose sound stirs the hearts of people everywhere. Their virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance are astonishing.
On stage, they stand with more than 40 Taiko drums, each of them with what the group calls “different characters.” For example, their largest drum called “Odaiko,” was produced from a large tree that was more than 400 years old, about 6.5 feet in diameter, and weighed 1,102 pounds.
Yamato was founded in Japan’s Nara Prefecture in 1993. Since then, the troupe has given more than 4,000 performances in 54 countries and regions. Every year, Yamato tours the world for 6 to 10 months, creating and presenting original Yamato compositions and stages. For each member of the group, every encounter with audiences is a unique and precious experience with the greatest goal being to send them home after each performance with a new vitality and passion for life.
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit TheSoraya.org,
or simply call the Box Office at (818) 677-3000.
About The Soraya:
Located on the vibrant and diverse campus of California State University in the heart of Los
Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating,
exceling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s
many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.
