History

Wai Taiko was co-founded by frontierswomen Michelle Miles and Lianne Stephenson with the help of the University of Waikato's East Asian Studies Department (now part of Department of Humanities).

After both doing a stint in Japan as high school exchange students where they were part of the school taiko club at Tachibana High School in Kyoto, they returned to NZ with a passion for big drums and loud noise....and so, the dream was born. With two homemade drums - craftily created using the internet, wine barrels and a bit of kiwi ingenuity by Barry Stephenson, and some beautiful shimedaiko (thanks to WEL energy and EAS Dept) we commenced the crazy art of Japanese taiko drumming in Hamilton, New Zealand.

After six months we did our first performance - at a church gala, and then at the University clubs day, and gradually we grew....more drums came and more people came...and we evolved from a small culture club into a performance group servicing the Waikato and beyond....Huge Thanks to Barry the Taikomeister - without him we would be drumming on tyres!

Our repertoire contains many of the songs we learnt in Japan including many of the classics - Chichibu yataibayashi, Miyake kiyaridaiko, Buchiawase (aka Kenkadaiko) and local songs - Ujigawa daiko, Nagaraseiryu noboriuchi, kagaribi, and minaguchibayashi. We are also adding more songs from the professionals we bring in to coach us now and then, and original songs from the members of the group.

We normally have around 20 members in the group at different stages of learning and performing. Our longest serving member is also our logistics controller. His name is Ken McNeil and he lectures in Japanese at the university (despite having a PhD in Physics). Our manager and treasurer is Athena Chambers, the department's indomitable and splendid secretary. The group is lead by Lianne and Michelle who teach with a mixture of "fun facism".

Our performance style is very much based in our roots. Practices are fairly informal and we do not run marathons. Despite the lack of long distance running the group as a performance art entity is sought after and we perform regularly throughout the year; mostly in Hamilton but also the wider Waikato area, Auckland and even once as far as New Plymouth for the premiere of The Last Samurai. Alas, Tom Cruise did not attend.

We are all volunteers working hard to keep this unique and exciting art alive in Hamilton. We enjoy shaping our local culture and it is exciting to represent the taiko community in New Zealand.

Thanks to sponsors for our drums

WEL energy

East Asian Studies, University of Waikato

PR Department, University of Waikato

SkyCity Hamilton Community Trust

Ken McNeil

We are also very grateful to the University for their support of our group, with particular thanks to FMD, the Department of Humanities, and our new home in the School of Education - for all your help, support, and putting up with our noise!