Hello and happy Monday ... I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Mine was busy, but great!
The fun started Friday night, Sal and I attended a performance by KODO, a group of Japanese taiko drummers. Wow, some of those drums are HUGE, and the intense sound penetrated the whole auditorium! And it was obvious that a ton of endurance is required to play them (and ladies ... there weren't only men on stage, there were some gals playing too and they were amazing!) The largest one, The Great Drum called o-daiko, is about 800 pounds and 4 feet in diameter (pictured below), and is carved from a single, massive tree trunk:
And these giant drums aren't played with typical little drumsticks, no way ... they're pounding on them with baseball bat-sized sticks of wood! The drums were accompanied by cymbals, a flute, and a banjo-type instrument, and a bit of Japanese song and dance; all of it enhanced the percussion sounds so nicely. The group put on an awesome show ... here's a sample video clip. They're on tour around North America right now, and will be touring in Europe (starting in Italy) in May. Check out their show schedule.
And these giant drums aren't played with typical little drumsticks, no way ... they're pounding on them with baseball bat-sized sticks of wood! The drums were accompanied by cymbals, a flute, and a banjo-type instrument, and a bit of Japanese song and dance; all of it enhanced the percussion sounds so nicely. The group put on an awesome show ... here's a sample video clip. They're on tour around North America right now, and will be touring in Europe (starting in Italy) in May. Check out their show schedule.On Saturday I drove over to St. Petersburg, had a quick visit with my parents, and then attended my long-awaited National Geographic Traveler travel photography seminar all day Sunday. It was called "A Passion For Travel: Photos That Tell The Story" and I've been signed-up for months. I couldn't wait to attend, and it didn't disappoint! The 2 travel photo journalists who taught were very experienced NGT contributors, and shared their knowledge well. I also loved mingling during lunch and the breaks, chatting with others who love to travel too. It was an enriching day, and I'll have a chance to put the concepts into practice real soon ... in Utah! ... quite a photogenic place!
I got home late (and tired) on Sunday night, but it was worth it! :-)
Have a great week ahead,
2 comments:
They were just here in Ann Arbor, but we missed them. Thanks for the clip!
That photography class sounds awesome. Can't wait to hear (and see) how it changes your travel photography (not that it isn't already amazing) ;)
Wow that looks so neat...I know Jason (my music man!) would enjoy the sounds of that! And I'm so glad you were finally able to attend your seminar. I'm sure you got some great tips...that you'll love to share...hint hint! Anyway, can't wait to see what you learned in your pics from Utah =)
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