'Hits you in the heart': Hinode Taiko drums message of gratitude to Winnipeg

Thirty-five drummers will be hitting the stage in Winnipeg this weekend in a rush of sound and dance to celebrate the history of taiko drumming in the city.

The drumming group Hinode Taiko will be performing the show called Kansha, a Japanese word which means gratitude.

"Any organization that operates for such a long time, they've gotten a lot of support the entire way," said Yuko Nozoe, the artistic director of the concert, on CBC Radio's Weekend Morning Show.

"Being performers, I thought, 'What better way to show our gratitude than making a lot of noise?'"

• Japanese drum and dance show a 'real treat' for Winnipeg audience

Japanese taiko drumming "is thunderous and it's something that shakes you to the core," Nozoe said.

"It's visually really interesting, there is a lot of martial arts-inspired choreography. The sound itself is amazing," she said.

"They get so loud you can hear it for miles and miles and miles and you can also feel it, you can feel the vibrations and it just hits you in the heart."

The show will be on a scale Winnipeg has never seen, she said.

Margaret McKensey, a drummer in the group, said she's excited to be part of the event. She got involved in taiko drumming after a friend invited her to check it out 27 years ago. She says she was instantly hooked.

"It's a great form of movement, you connect with your body in a fantastic way," she said.                           

For people in the audience during the anniversary show, McKensey said she hopes they get a "sensory overload."

"It's music for the eyes as well as for the ears," she said.

Kansha runs at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Founders Studio Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 and Sunday, Nov. 26 at 2:00.