Join SLOT in the dashi for festival season.

Seeking Volunteers!

The dashi has been a favorite attraction at Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese Festival since 2000 and we couldn’t do it without the help of volunteers! Every summer, our performing members work with volunteers to prepare the dashi for the festival, set it up at the garden, and recruit visitors to join in our parades.

The dashi is an ornately decorated stage built on a cart, similar to a parade float. Traditionally, it is pulled around during festivals to show its wonderfulness to the community. During the Japanese Festival, our dashi resides outside the Spink Pavilion, where children (and children at heart) are invited to join us in playing taiko. Additionally, before two of our performances, we gather festival-goers to pull the dashi in a parade through the garden to the performance amphitheater.

Dashi parade

We're currently seeking volunteers to help us get the dashi ready for the upcoming festival and to lead the parades to and from our performances in the garden. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us to get more information.

_____________________________

Upcoming Performances

Creve Coeur Summer Concert Series
Thursday, July 11, 2019 - 6:00 PM
Millennium Park, 2 Barnes West, Creve Coeur, MO
Free Performance + Workshop

Raintree Arts Council
Sunday, August 18, 2019 - 3:00 PM
The Apple Shed, 702 South 2nd Street, Clarksville, MO
Free Performance + Workshop

Japanese Festival
Saturday, August 31 - Monday, September 2, 2019
Missouri Botanical Garden
Tickets $16 Adult / $5 Children / $8 Members

Farewell, Rosemary and Eleanor!

Two of our long-standing performing members and educators, Rosemary Mroczkowski and Eleanor Wright, are retiring from the performance group.

A performing member for over ten years, Rosemary was actively involved in teaching our children’s taiko classes and devoted countless hours at the dashi during the Japanese Festival. During her time with the group, she also composed “Ice Cream for Dinner” and “Mizumoto-en,” which are now part of our repertoire.

Rosemary (left) and Eleanor right) in the dashi at the Japanese Festival

Eleanor was still a high school student when she joined in 2010 and quickly became one of the principal teachers of the beginning taiko classes. Eleanor helped to teach several students who are now performing members!

Thank you, Eleanor and Rosemary, for sharing your talents and spreading the art of ensemble drumming throughout the community. We wish you the best!

Learn to Play Taiko

Adult All-Levels Class
Sundays 1:00-3:00 PM
10 Sessions (July 14 - September 1)
Our adult all-levels class is open to anyone age 16 and up. If you are new to taiko, you will learn the basics of sticking, kata (form), movement, theory, and rhythms of taiko, plus some pieces you can play. More advanced players will learn different styles, rhythms, and drums.

We are a non-profit group that performs the art of taiko around the St. Louis area and the world.

10734 Trenton Ave. | St. Louis, MO 63132
Please remove me from this list. | view email in browser

Seeking Volunteers!

_____________________________ Upcoming Performances

Farewell, Rosemary and Eleanor!

Learn to Play Taiko

_____________________________

Upcoming Performances