The Ten Drum Art Percussion Group is in India for IIT Delhi’s cultural festival. Troupe member Kuo Chih Ting spoke to Iknoor Kaur about their attempt to create awareness about Taiwanese culture
The loud beats of drums, men and women jumping high, display of martial arts and heavily dominant percussion — the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group from Taiwan is known for its energy-packed performance and music. The group is all set to enthrall the Delhi audience now. They performed for the first time in India on Friday and today they will be a part of IIT Delhi’s cultural festival, Rendezvous.
Member of the troupe Kuo Chih Ting said that the troupe’s aim is to show the Taiwanese tradition and strong culture. “We have been to several countries in the world except India. So, we wanted to come here to have a cultural dialogue with the country,” she said.
When Ting saw a drum for the first time, she couldn’t forgo her urge to beat it. She felt that the thump of the drum reflected her heartbeat and gave her a form of expression. Ever since then, till date, she used the power of percussion to express her true feelings. “There is always something more being said through drum beats. It is all about saying your best kept secrets out loud. I have always found it to be a stress buster more than anything else,” she shared.
Ten Drum Art Percussion Group is a purely percussion-based ensemble that is devoted to the development and proliferation of drum art. Along with that the troupe also uses martial arts as their accompanying tool of expression. However, the group is going to limit itself only to the traditional Taiwanese beats while in India. “Since it is our debut here we want people to know about our roots,” said Ting. There will be a total of eight performances by the troupe. The first one is called The Sound of Five Elements. Ting explained, “This is a new set we have created. It is meant to promote peace in the audience. That is why it is the first track because we want the audience to calm down before we take the beats to the next level. The second number will be called Riding Winds and Breaking Waves. This composition can be divided in five sections. Each section displays its own character. The whole meaning of this song presents the momentum of the riding winds and breaking waves. We have a lot of coastal areas, so we want to show the plight of fishermen. This will also raise the emotions of the audience.” The highlight of the performance is the last set called The Mountain’s Call. “This piece talks about the A-li Mountain. It is a very powerful performance as it brings out the spiritual essence of nature. It also covers the devastation that occurred in 1999 at the mountain,” said Ting.
The troupe is also familiar with Indian percussion instruments. “We all have learnt the tabla and love it. I think that Indian music is very expressive and thus, this should have an impact on Indians. We want them to do such performances in the future,” she signed off.