![\"taiko\"](\"https:\/\/community.scrippscollege.edu\/invisible\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/04\/taiko.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe first time I ever experienced a taiko<\/i> performance I heard the deafening vibrations lapping against the walls, rippling in ever widening waves as they shook the ground beneath me. I was transfixed by the performance as the taiko<\/i> players yelled while playing the odaiko<\/i>, a drum about the size of a mini-fridge, and drummed up a storm within the packed auditorium. They were powerful, charismatic, and energized. And, most notably, they were all female. I could feel the rhythms pounding in my chest, thundering along my spine, reverberating within me as they finished their set. It was in that moment that I knew that I had to be part of it.<\/p>\n
I was initially drawn to taiko<\/i> because of its powerful expression and sound. As an ensemble-style art, taiko<\/i> is known to engage and empower both its performers and audience. It\u2019s loud. It\u2019s assertive. Moreover, it demands attention and visibility where there is injustice and invisibility. Taiko<\/i> in the United States as a cultural and historical medium of reinterpretation has its roots in the 1960\u2019s as third-generation Japanese Americans rediscovered forms of cultural expression following the internment camps of World War II. This history of reinterpretation is also particularly important for Asian\/Asian American women who are often stereotyped as quiet, mild-mannered, and submissive. Those who are seen as assertive or outspoken \u2013 particularly in the work place \u2013 risk being cast into \u201cdragon lady\u201d stereotype or receive surprising remarks about being uncharacteristically \u201cloud.\u201d The prevalence of these stereotypes and other oppressions have resulted in movements like the Twitter hashtag #NotYourAsianSidekick that launched as an Asian American feminist conversation starter and spurred other campaigns to address these issues. These issues have also attracted women to participate in movements and activities such as taiko<\/i> which challenge stereotypes.<\/p>\n
Taiko <\/i>actively dispels many of the stereotypes, and it does so loudly and proudly. Drumming isn\u2019t typically thought of as a \u201cfeminine\u201d activity. However, taiko<\/i> is unique in its progressive history in that the traditional idealization of taiko<\/i> as a male dominated art form due to the physical demands of playing has shifted since the 1990\u2019s in favor of equal gender roles as female membership soared. In fact, 75% of taiko<\/i> players today are women and all-female taiko<\/i> groups like Genki star, Raging Asian Women (RAW), and Taiko Sisters that act as networks of support, leadership, and empowerment against stereotypes are on the rise. This trend reflects a difficult, but successful renegotiation of gender roles over the years. As an ensemble style art form where close membership and collaboration are highly valued, taiko<\/i> served as a space where early pioneering female taiko<\/i> players who worked alongside their male counterparts helped to reverse initial stereotypes through their perseverance and artistry. Women taiko<\/i> players have since moved from a history of being limited to dance routines during taiko<\/i> performances to the center stage where they continue to renegotiate the future of the art form.<\/p>\n
As a beginning taiko<\/i> player in the 5C\u2019s Psyko Taiko group, I\u2019ve learned a lot about just how insanely demanding, fun, and invigorating playing taiko<\/i> can be. The nerve-wracking hesitancy with which I initially played has given way to greater confidence as I have been encouraged to play loudly, to shout encouragements to my fellow group members, and to create my own solos. Like other women, I\u2019ve come to see how taiko<\/i> contradicts stereotypes by encouraging women to own their bodies and unapologetic expression through its physicality and powerful sound. Taiko<\/i> takes control of authorship and works to subvert its own traditions, thereby serving as a more inclusive and empowering medium. And for me, taiko<\/i> remains not only a fun way to relieve stress, but as a powerful way to readdress and redefine raging stereotypes of the quiet, demure Asian American women with the resounding sound of unapologetic challenge.<\/p>\n
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