Drum Tao Presented by Irving Arts Center

TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming is a Japanese drum and dance ensemble formed in 1993. This performing group combines music and dance to reflect Japanese tradition, but also incorporates Korean, Maori, and Indonesian influences. While some songs are traditional, most are modern compositions created by members of the troupe. Many of their performance pieces include only percussion instruments, and in some cases only taiko drums, but other pieces include the shinobue, or Japanese flute, bamboo marimba, gongs, and the koto, a horizontal harp.

TAO performers train in their own center in the Kujū Highlands on Kyushu called Grandioso. The strenuous physical demands of their performance style demands that all performers also train as athletes. Their daily workouts, which start at 5 a.m. and end at 10 p.m., including a 20 kilometer run, calisthenics, martial arts training, and hours of dance, drum, and music practice.

After more than a decade touring Japan, the group performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they sold out of tickets for 25 straight days and outsold every other performance group. This was followed by a series of Off-Broadway shows in New York which sold out completely as well. The international phenomenon has  been touring internationally ever since, with sold out shows around the world. In 2017. their major recording debut from Universal Music,  a compilation of their work for 25 years, ranked as one of the top three in the iTunes World Album Ranking in five different countries.

Box Office Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: Noon to 5:00 p.m. and 1 hour prior to performances
Contact: 972.252.2787 (ARTS)