Japanese Drum Troupe Tao Brings High-Energy Show to Ford Center

OXFORD, Miss. – Hundreds of the world’s most celebrated athletes are in the spotlight this month as the Winter Olympics play out in Vancouver, British Columbia. But after the closing ceremonies, nearly a dozen acclaimed athletes of a different sort come to the University of Mississippi.

These athletes are members of Tao, a Japanese dance-and-drum ensemble that incorporates explosive percussion with tight choreography and martial arts moves. Add contemporary stage effects and theatrical lighting, and you have “Tao, The Martial Art of Drumming,” which comes to the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts for a performance at 8 p.m. March 3.

Tickets are $25 for the general public, $12 for UM faculty and staff, and $10 for students and faculty enrolled in the Cultural Passport program. They are available by calling 662-915-7411, by visiting the UM Box Office in the Student Union from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays or the Ford Center Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or by going to http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/tickets/order.htm.

The troupe performs taiko, a Japanese form of ensemble drumming that combines the rhythm of opera with the melody of a sophisticated musical. The performance is said to stimulate the senses, permeate the soul and offer an unforgettable global feeling to everyone. The group performed at the Cultural Olympiad last month in Vancouver and has drawn critical raves at shows worldwide over the past few years.

For more information about Ford Center events, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/fordcenter/. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7411.