Hello taiko, hello future!
It’s been a while since I posted on here (almost 12 months) and to be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve stared at a blank page, wondering what to write, wondering who will read it. It’s hard to know where to start, but start I must, not at the beginning as too much has happened, but at the present and what has become of the travels, dreams, conversations, connections, ideas and passions that created Taiko Journey.
What happened, where am I going?!
Three months ago, after some time out from my full time job at Kagemusha Taiko and some much needed focus on my health, I made the decision to jump off the edge into the unknown, trust in the buoyancy of what I felt was right, and start the long road to making Taiko Journey a social enterprise. In my travels I’ve seen taiko bring people together, making strong connections with others, make connections with music, movement, within themselves…and I wanted those who ‘we’ might see as being on the fringes of our society to feel the benefits of being part of a taiko group as much as anyone else.
I’ve shared taiko with those with significant physical and learning disabilities and the process of experiencing taiko in that precise moment is where the magic is for them – not a highly rehearsed performance – being part of that has changed my views on so much. I’ve seen someone make a small progression in a taiko session that may not be any great shakes to someone else, but that boost in confidence, that shot of adrenaline, that smile that has started from the inside, has had a profound on their lives outside the taiko studio. People share their stories of what taiko has done for them, and I’m honoured to listen to a journey of courage, determination, sadness, joy, development, and connection…It’s been said in a thousand different ways because it’s true – life is not about the destination; the joy is in the journey – and that’s how I want people to experience taiko with Taiko Journey.
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