by Ian Cleworth, Taikoz Artistic Director
The Beauty Of 8 was given its World Premiere at Sydney’s Seymour Centre on 23 October, 2015. It was remounted for performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre on 11 February, 2017.
The title, 'The Beauty Of 8;, refers to the mesmerising shapes and movements that are synonymous with Chieko Kojima’s Onna-uchi (women’s side-on) style of taiko playing. As a performer, Chieko is the very embodiment of flow, round-ness, grace and power, and it was words and images such as these that were the catalyst from which the program grew.
But, as Chieko and I talked more, a mutual love of words invited the idea of poetry more directly informing the shape and development of the program. In fact, the chosen poems (see below) pervade the entire program by giving it a sense of line and inevitability, and defining its tripartite structure:
Part 1: 'Eternal Silence' begins with a recitation of three stanzas of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses, an epic poem that speaks of the desire to explore new frontiers, to live life to the full and to meet new challenges, even at an advanced age. A reference to broadening personal horizons and literally travelling towards new horizons informs The Beauty Of 8: indeed, six massive odaiko (grand drums) evoke our horizon, setting the stage in anticipation of our musical journey beginning. Four works comprise Part 1, each with a reference to traveling forth, mighty challenge and ultimate transformation through life’s experiences: Ulysses – Horizon – Morf – Cascading Waterfall.
Part 2: 'Our Horizon' draws inspiration from a short Emily Dickinson poem. While worlds apart from Tennyson’s poem, something links them (in my mind, at least): with such brevity, Dickinson evokes a sense of journeying forth, of expansiveness, but without Tennyson’s heroics. An underlying feeling of uncertainty, melancholy and even dread pervades her world, although the image of birds elicits delight. Three works also evoking themes of challenge and transformation comprise Part 2, but this time supreme struggle comes to the fore: These Tested Our Horizon – Become – Pearl.
Part 3: 'The White Bird' takes off (pun intended) where Pearl leaves us: an image of birds taking flight underscored by a sung recitation of a tanka that is a source of inspiration for Chieko:
Is not a white bird forlorn?
It melts neither into the sky blue nor into the sea blue.
It flies and floats.
The image of the ‘white bird’ perfectly captures Chieko’s performance style – that is, somewhat dichotomous with a hint of melancholia on the one hand, and a feeling of freedom on the other. This final section of the performance sees Chieko’s choreography come to the fore as she dances to the ethereal strains of Riley’s sublime Drifting. This rather delicate and highly melodious music directly contrasts with the transformation of Chieko from dancer to drummer in her performance of Hana Hachijo, the epitome of The Beauty Of 8.
