EC - The Workshops

There is a range of different workshops available at Earth Celebration - all run by megaprofessional amazing people. You can do drumming, dance, singing, flute....and when you read about them you just want to do everything! Because of this, it's all chosen by a lottery - so you put your name in the hat and see what comes out....
I was able to do three workshops - dance, drum and flute. They were all really really good.
The first was the Ogi Okesa - a traditional dance that they do at a special festival on Sado Island. We all learnt the moves very slowly then repeated the dance many times to try and get it right. By the end I mostly had it, but when you see the proper ladies dancing you realise that we had just been taught the very simple version! :)
They had people doing the live music with singing, drums and instrumental (shamisen and flute) which was awesome too.

with the ogi okesa dancers

I was so inspired afterwards I had to buy a hat for myself.

And one night after the concerts there was a special Ogi Okesa in the streets where they had the musicians set up and everyone dancing in a big circle around them. It was really fun, but goes for so long!

On the morning of the last day I did a flute workshop with Kano Yasukazu - he is a well renowned Japanese flute player and was really incredible. He showed how it can sound like a recorder or a western flute, and then how it is supposed to sound - it gives you shivers and you can't help but imagine flying over bamboo groves shrouded in the mists of time....so ethereal.
I must confess that my playing is not so ethereal....yet. But I learnt a lot from the class and will Ganbarimasu!

On the last day I was soooo tired - taiko heaven is a very full on place with so many things happening. I wasn't sure how well I could really last for the hardest workshop of all. Miyake daiko. For those who haven't seen it - this is an extremely physical traditional song, and the drum is horizontal and low (traditionally it is actually sitting right on the ground) so you have to be in a low lunge to play it. It can be painful! But I was also really excited because - this was my first trip to the Kodo taiko room!

hello Kodo!

and I was going to be taught by the actual Miyake family! They are the traditional players of the song, and live on Miyake Island (although presently they are in Tokyo because Miyake Island is a volcano and everyone has been evacuated at the moment). They are hot!

Mathias, Grete and Me with the Miyake guys

We went hard, everyone got blisters, but it was so much fun. We learnt the main rhythm and the backing and how to change positions - and the traditional arm movements. Then we took turns going around the drums playing each part. It's hard to keep everything in your head and get it all right, but it was so much fun!