Kodō

There are hundreds of taiko groups in Japan, but only one has managed to conquer the world. Based on the Japanese island of Sado, the group was formed in 1981 from the existing Ondekoza. And while it still boasts some of the world's leading musicians, its members are regularly renewed, as are its directors, each bringing his or her own vision, both traditional and contemporary. The year of its formation, Kodō performed for the first time in Europe at the Berlin Philharmonic. For them, it was the start of a journey that would have no end. From Europe to the Americas, via the Middle East and, of course, Japan, they carry the voice of taiko around the world.

In 1984, they had already played at the Olympic Arts Festival preceding the Los Angeles Olympic Games. But in 1998, it was at home that they demonstrated their masterful art, always sublimely illuminated. A powerful performance to open the Nagano Winter Games. Three years later, they used their fame to promote their culture by organizing Earth Celebration, a festival of traditional music and dance held every year on the island of Sado.

For 40 years, the members of Kodō have been touring the planet at a hypnotic pace, making their audiences resonate in unison. After an enforced two-year break, they return with two shows entitled Tsuzumi and Warabe. The latter goes back to the roots of taiko, like a child discovering rhythm, to tell the story of the deep ties that unite man and nature. For the first time, in 2024, Kodō takes to the roads of Europe to bring to life this meticulous choreography, this celebration of a unique sound between resonance and physicality, to talk about a subject as old as the world yet terribly topical.