Zeiterion presents High Powered Pulse of Japan’s Yamato Drummers, Jan. 21

The Yamato Drummers travel the world with Japan’s traditional Taiko drums, landing at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center on Sunday, January 21, at 4:00 p.m. Combining riveting musicianship and high-energy movement, the troupe offers a spectacular family-family performance. Tickets range from $29 to $49 and can be purchased by calling 508-994-2900, online at Zeiterion.org, or at the Zeiterion Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 508-997-5664 x123.

Named for ‘the land of Yamato,” the birthplace of Japanese culture, the Yamato Drummers put their very souls into the unusual instruments with extraordinary precision and stamina. These masters put on an extraordinary visual performance, with designed costumes and a remarkable assortment of Taiko drums made from ancient trees. Their sound evokes what the Japanese call “Tamashy,” translated as soul, spirit, and psyche – the basic elements of life. It is something that is invisible and intangible, but whose existence is certainly felt.

The troupe sets out to send audiences home after each performance with a new vitality and passion for life. As they continue to tour and perform throughout Japan and around the world, whether in concerts, classrooms, school assemblies or workshops, they cherish and uphold Yamato, the spirit of Japan. Their tour is sponsored by the Japan Foundation.

Yamato Drummers was founded in Japan’s Nara Prefecture in 1993. They have given over 2,500 performances in 51 countries and regions. Every year, Yamato tours the world for 6 to 10 months, creating and presenting original Yamato compositions and stages. As a result of this relentless tour schedule, pursued over more than 10 years, audiences around the world await their arrival every year in growing numbers, sustaining and encouraging their efforts.

Also happening at the Zeiterion on the week of January 21:

Dance Barre: How Ballets Come Together and Fall Apart
Wednesday, January 24, 7:00 p.m.
Free

Sit on-stage in a café setting with other dance fans for an engaging experience – like a book group for dance. Join Brown University professor, Sydney Skybetter, for a journey through ballet history to our contemporary moment, with digressions on the proper use of swords, why miming is the worst, how ballet stages were death traps until the 1980s and why choreographer Jessica Lang may be our best hope for the future of the art form.

An Evening with Patti Smith
Friday, January 26, 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30, including a copy of Smith’s book Devotion

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, iconic artist, and author Patti Smith reads from her latest book, Devotion, a deeply personal look at her creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections.

The Soap Myth starring Ed Asner
Saturday, January 27, at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $18 / $36

The Soap Myth questions who has the right to write history – those people who have lived it, those who study and protect it, or those who would seek to distort its existence? This critically-acclaimed play by Jeff Cohen stars Emmy Award-winning Ed Asner and features Johanna Day, Blair Baker, and Ned Eisenberg in a staged reading directed by Pam Berlin. It’s presented in association with Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford and Burke Cohen Entertainment on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It will be followed by a moderated Q&A Session that includes playwright Jeff Cohen.