Then we kicked off May with a shekere workshop with Kevin Nathaniel Hylton, who has been fiddling with these beaded gourds for years!  Although we quickly discovered how unskilled we might have otherwise appeared to shekere experts in regards to utilizing this accessory instrument, he said we were the first group that has caught on so quickly to the techniques he shared with us.  ^_^  Visit mbirasanctuary.com to learn more about him, his workshops, as well as his performances.

Japan Day has always been a fun venue for us to play, and this year (May 11) was a busy one!  Danny Hayman entertained the bristling racers in Central Park early in the morning with his shishimai (lion) dance and even got a head start in the race!  Post-performance, the event hosts honored and interviewed original member Alan Okada for his 35 years in Soh Daiko, and later in the program, Anton Palma joined KAI for a collaborative performance.

On May 18, Soh Daiko was invited to open the stage at the World Fair’s Anniversary Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. Soh Daiko even made appearances on Fox 5 news on QPTV, TV-Tokyo, and TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting) news for participating in this event!

As the season is entering into summer, we are now focusing on repairing our drums and equipment so our drums may continue to reflect our efforts in perfecting our form.  We have been sanding, repairing, and lacquering our drum barrels and preparing the tools we will need to stretch our new raw hides when they arrive.  Re-skinning our drums will help ensure that we continue to share our heart-felt Dons with all of you!  We sincerely thank Karl for helping us dispose of some of our old equipment that we had dismantled and the temple for providing us with the space and time to dedicate to this much-needed endeavor.

We hope you will join us for a few more performances coming next month – the Fifth Annual Japanese Heritage Night outside the NY Mets Statium on July 11, Seabrook Obon on July 19 and New York Obon in Bryant Park tentatively on July 20.  We’ve been brushing up on our bon odori dancing skills, so come join us and show off yours!