NATC 2025 Phoenix

ShastaYama Odori is a composition by Russel Baba which uses two simple traditional patterns interlocking to create a new or different overall sound to dance to.

Basic needs are one Odaiko, 2 shime, one chu, atarigane, & fue. Each has a part.

The minimal music parts are for Odaiko/chu, 2 shime, and fue. The parts may be made more complex by adding others for Odaiko and chu or shime and atarigane and/or matsu mushi bells.

ShastaYama Odori was created for audience participation at the ShastaYama Taiko Festival. Toru Watanabe and Michelle Fujii created most of the dance movements which celebrates the Mount Shasta area and nature. Russel Baba added more dance movements reflecting our modern lifestyles of cell phones, pumping gas, and driving. Traditional dance and songs reflect people's lives of fishing, farming, or hoeing or digging. Russel added the modern acts of today.

The piece ends when dancing is done. The chu Odaiko pattern goes one more round and ends the piece.

This workshop can add more participants. There is a minimum required, but no maximum as it is simple and easy to learn.

If one plays ShastaYama Odori, please give Russel credit for the music and give credit to Toru Watanabe, Michelle Fujii, and Russel for the dance choreography.

Prerequisite/What to bring: There are no requirements for participants. Anyone from beginner to advanced will gain from learning ShastaYama Odori. AND it's fun!

Description
- When I first visited Hachijo Island in 2012 and played Hachijo Daiko with the locals, I received a comment: "That's not Hachijo Taiko". While Hachijo is known to be an improvisational style played by two players, I was shocked to hear that simply improvising on the Hachijo setup wasn't good enough.
- It is said that islanders are able to recognize the soloist by listening to their rhythms from afar. The focus of this workshop is for each participant to further develop their own Hachijo style through exploration in sound and rhythms. Explore beyond the given roles of the Uwauchi player being the soloist and the Shitauchi player being the base-keeper in the Hachijo setup.
- WS focus/concepts: becoming an "active listener" as the Shitauchi player; incorporating repetition and creating rhythms that feel/sound good to you as the Uwauchi player

Prerequisite Knowledge
- Experience with Hachijo Daiko in the past (preferred, but not required)