Taiko Rock Star Jennifer Weir and the Film FINDING HER BEAT is in the House!

Taiko is a rich and varied form of drumming that is part of Japan's cultural heritage. While it originally started in other parts of Asia, it emerged in Japan over 2000 years ago. It became a powerful motivator in military preparations and evolved into Japanese Buddhist and Shinto religions as a sacred instrument. Taiko literally means "drum" in Japanese, and the musical discipline of Taiko takes that instrument to its most impactful limits.

Because of its origins in patriarcal warfare and religious traditions, Taiko has been done for centuries only by men. Forty years ago, women musicians around the world became enthralled with the art form and have individually created their own Taiko compositions and disciplines. None of their efforts were collaborative or integrated -- each artist created and performed on her own.

Until now. 

Jennifer Weir, our guest today, is the Executive Director of TaikoArts Midwest. She decided to create the very first concert that would bring together all the female, and nonbinary, Taiko superstars to perform together on one stage in one mind-blowing performance. While doing so, she collaborated with a film team to make the documentary Finding Her Beat to tell the story of how the concert came together, and more broadly, spotlighting the evolution of an art form that now can belong to women artists as well as men.

With co-host Brody Levesque