On the evening of May 9th last week, Director Lai Mingqi and his wife, of the Taiwan Representative Office in San Francisco, hosted a banquet in Foster City to welcome the renowned Taiwanese performance group “Ten Drum Art Percussion Group” as they toured the San Francisco Bay Area.
The touring group combined the “American-Taiwanese Heritage Week” and “Canadian Asian Heritage Month” to bring the power of Taiwan through their percussion performances to the top ten cities on the west coast of the United States and Canada, with their first stop being the San Francisco Bay Area.
The theme of the performance was “Taiwan Pulse,” inspired by Taiwan’s natural landscapes and traditional culture. It marked the first collaboration between the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group and the Hand-in-Hand Steel Drum Ensemble, blending traditional percussion with modern rock to create a new crossover musical art, delivering a visually and audibly stimulating experience. The performance took place on May 10th at Union Square in San Francisco and on May 11th at 3 p.m. at the Fox Theater in Redwood City. Tickets were nearly sold out, garnering significant attention for its captivating show.
Director Lai Mingqi expressed his anticipation as he had watched the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group’s performances multiple times before, always finding them fascinating and awe-inspiring. He thanked the organizers for giving more American friends the opportunity to see and understand Taiwan.
Director of the Overseas Chinese Education Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zhuang Yashu, mentioned that the Taiwanese Heritage Week is the best opportunity to showcase Taiwanese culture. She emphasized that fostering friendships through culture is the quickest way and involving youth associations in the preparation can inspire creativity.
This tour was organized by the Taiwanese-American second-generation youth association “Taiwanese-American Civic Alliance – TAP-SF” and co-organized by the Northern California Taiwanese Cultural and Sports Association.
Allen, the organizer of TAP-SF, shared that their association hosts the largest Taiwanese cultural festival on the West Coast every year, incorporating food, traditional experiences, and performances to allow mainstream audiences to experience Taiwan. President of the Cultural and Sports Association, Lin Hongda, welcomed everyone on Mother’s Day, May 11th, to bring their families and enjoy a 70-minute full performance to experience Taiwan’s high-quality culture.
The Ten Drum Art Percussion Group has been honored with awards such as the Golden Melody Awards, Grammy Awards, and American Independent Music Awards, dedicating their creations to Taiwan’s native culture. They revitalized the abandoned Tainan Rende Sugar Factory into a cultural park, and their transformation story was adapted into the inspirational movie “Go! Boys,” touching the hearts of many viewers.
Founder of the Hand-in-Hand Steel Drum Ensemble, Xie Jiaming, shared with Epoch Times that he received drum training from a young age, starting to learn drums at the age of two and falling asleep to the sound of drums. He admitted that the drumming process is quite strenuous, often leading to sweating profusely, breaking skin, and bleeding on the hands. It was during his junior and senior high school years when he discovered that drum music can move people’s hearts, that he made the decision to follow in his father’s footsteps and take on the responsibility of heritage.
He recounted that the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group started from tutoring centers and faced many challenges in their development. He witnessed the early struggles of the group due to financial difficulties, going half a year without pay, yet the members remained steadfast. It wasn’t until their nomination for the 52nd Grammy Awards that the group turned the tide and emerged from the low point.
Now, the group resides at the Tainan Rende Sugar Factory, performing almost non-stop throughout the year. Xie mentioned that this time, they will incorporate rock music to bring forth an innovative performance that blends Taiwanese temple, Hakka, and other local elements, hoping to move more audiences through music.