Japanese musicians will perform “Taikoza: Such Sweet Thunder” at 8 p.m. Jan. 29 in the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. There will be a pre-show discussion at 7:10 p.m.

Roughly translated, the root Taiko means “big drums.” The group combines thunderous rhythms of ancestral Japanese drums with delicate melodies of bamboo flutes to revitalize an art form pulsing with energy. And the stunning sound of the drums is but one dramatic feature of a Taikoza performance. Dancers in vivid, traditional costumes create a dynamic aspect as powerful for the eyes as the Taiko drums are for the ears.

The lecture is sponsored by E. Desmond Lee Global Ethnic Collaborative at UMSL, the Ei’ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Professorship in Japanese Studies at UMSL, the Center for International Studies at UMSL, UMSL and the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center with the support of The Regional Arts Commission.

Tickets are $18.

More information:
touhill.org