Ryu Shu Taiko was founded in 1998 by Kyoshi Gerard Senese.
He discovered the excitement of Taiko back in 1989 while watching a performance of Soh Daiko in NYC and realized the connection between Taiko and his martial arts training.
The pictue at left is a picture of the Japanese God of Thunder who is surrounded by taiko drums and holds Bachi (drumsticks) in each hand. The picture was taken by Gerard on a visit to Nikko, Japan.
Gerard Senese, together with his wife, Hiroko, (who is from Shikoku, Japan) travel to Japan to research the art of Taiko and Folk Dance to expand their group's repertoire.
At left is Gerard & Hiroko playing the piece titled "Buchiawase"- "The Fighting Drums".
THE BEGINNING OF RYU SHU TAIKO
As Gerard Senese explains, "In 1998 an American percussionist who had learned how to make taiko in Japan introduced me to the art of playing and the craft of making taiko. Together with my karate students and my wife, we started making our own taiko out of Long Island wine barrels.
We were then introduced to Marco Lienhard, who had played for Ondekoza, one of the premier taiko groups in the world, and he taught us our first traditional Japanese taiko pieces. We have furthered our study of the art over the years by attending workshops both here in America and in Japan.
Currently, we perform at venues throughout the Metro area and at elementary schools around Long Island as BOCES Arts-in-Education Artists introducing the Japanese Culture through performance and workshops. The students have the opportunity to play the Taiko with us which they say is a highlight of their school year.
