Japanese drummers delight with new show in Dresden

The Japanese Yamato ensemble completely hit the nerve of the audience in Dresden with a brilliant drum performance. The two-hour show by the "Drummers of Japan" received standing ovations and loud cheers at the Kulturpalast in the city on the Elbe. The ensemble of five women and five men delivered two hours of fireworks on taiko drums and other traditional Japanese instruments.

Mixture of traditional art and contemporary flavor

The new show was entitled "Hito no Chikara - The Power of Human Strength" and offered a mixture of traditional drumming and humorous interludes and even slapstick. The premiere audience in Dresden was repeatedly encouraged to join in.

The name of the new show can also be applied to the artists. Yamato presented itself in Dresden as a tight-knit community that spends most of the year on tour. "Our training begins every morning with a ten-kilometre run, either through the hills of the village of Asuka or through the streets of the city where we are currently on tour," ensemble founder Masa Ogawa is quoted as saying in the program booklet.

Ensemble members drum ten hours a day

According to the management, the artists drum up to ten hours a day during training and shows. They use 35 different drums. The largest of them has a diameter of 1.70 meters and weighs half a ton. According to reports, the drums are beaten at up to 500 beats per minute.

Since its foundation in 1993, Yamato has performed in 54 countries. The Japanese were back in Dresden for the first time in 14 years. The spark was transmitted to the audience with the first drumbeat. Daily performances are planned until next Sunday, even two per day at the weekend.