From The Straits Times    |

It would never have occurred to me at first glance, that the demure Arisa Nishi was the female lead drummer of the world-renowned Japanese martial-arts-and-drums performance troupe, Drum Tao.

Clad simply in grey trousers and a white knit blouse, she perches primly on the edge of the couch and smiles shyly as I greet the other two members, costume designer, Maki Morifuji and male drummer, Taro Harasaki.


(L-R): Maki Morifuji, Taro Harasaki, Arisa Nishi

While Taro looked every bit the muscular drummer in his tight white tee and gravity-defying mohawk, I could barely begin to wrap my mind around how the two petite ladies manage to leap around the stage while banging on massive drums – and making sure their make up doesn’t run – every night.

But as the saying goes, never judge a book by it’s cover, and I was intrigued to find out more about what it must be like for a handful of women to work with a group of rough and tough men every day

After touring 17 countries across the world and having enthralled audiences of more than four million, Drum Tao will finally be bringing their act to Singapore from September 1 to 3 at the Esplanade Theatre, for four shows only.
I managed to snag a chat with these three to find out which member the girls go crazy for, how they deal with broken body parts mid-show and what the rigours of being part of such a high-octane show are:

hw.com: This question is for the girls. What is it like training with so many men for such an intense performance every day? Do you feel like you have to work harder to keep up?
Arisa Nishi: It was very difficult for me at first as I didn’t like sport very much in school. I also didn’t realise training would be this hard when I joined the group. [Laughs]
I put a lot of pressure on myself to do whatever the men were doing at first, but found it almost impossible to keep up. However, I soon realised that I can bring a different aspect to the show that they can’t. I bring femininity, gentleness and grace that only a woman can bring through my dance, and have found my own role in this group.
Maki Morifuji: I, too, didn’t like sport in school, and was actually really glad to have graduated because it meant the end of PE classes! But I was drawn to Drum Tao when I saw a very attractive commercial on it, which impressed me.
The training requires a lot of physical and mental strength but I try to focus on bringing my individuality to the show rather than comparing myself to the guys. It’s not your gender that determines how good you are, but more about lending your own character to the performance.

hw.com: With all the intensive training and elaborate choreography, what’s the worst injury you’ve suffered?
MM: I’ve broken my ribs during a show. I must have exerted myself too much because I was in the middle of a performance when I heard a loud snap from my ribs. I just bore the pain and continued with the show though.
Taro Harasaki: I think the drum I had slung around my neck was too heavy and I broke my neck because of the pressure from the weight. It was quite a serious injury as I was in recovery for quite some time and missed my first New Zealand tour because of that.

hw.com: Ouch, sounds terrible! So what do you do to prevent such mishaps from happening?
TH: The key is to maintain your level of fitness by training regularly. There is a fine balance we must maintain. If we are too bulky, we might have the strength but not the agility. Too little muscle, and we won’t have the strength to carry the drums around. We also need to keep hydrated because we lose about 3kg of water after every show.

hw.com: But I’m sure all this pays off when the group gets plenty of attention from the fans. So spill the beans, with so many topless men on stage, who would you say is the girls’ favourite?
TH: I’d say our fans like us more as a group rather than as individuals.
AN and MM: [Laughs] Takuya Ara! He’s very handsome.

hw.com: Maki, the costumes you design are very elaborate. What’s the inspiration behind them?
MM: I gather a bit of inspiration from every show I watch, ranging from Cirque du Soleil to Broadway musicals. The core concepts usually stem from traditional Japanese elements but I try to incorporate my own modern, avant garde take on them.

hw.com: Any interesting wardrobe malfunctions you’d care to share?
All: They happen all the time during the performance!
MM: They do, but I’m always looking for ways to fix the costumes and ensure it doesn’t happen again after that.

hw.com: So what is the favorite part of your job, and which part do you like least?
AN: I like that I can play many roles on stage that I wouldn’t normally be able to in reality. Makes me feel like I’m an actress. [Grins] And now that I think about it, there isn’t anything that I actually dislike about being part of Drum Tao. Except maybe the tough training, but I see that as a challenge.
MM: I like seeing the audience enjoying our performance. As for my least favourite part, I wish that I had more time to do everything, rehearse, perform, design, seek inspiration, there’s so much to do and so little time!
TH: Like Maki, I like seeing the audience enjoy themselves too. It’s a very gratifying feeling that all your hard work has paid off.

hw.com: Finally, what do you do for fun when you’re not rehearsing or recovering from an injury?
AN: I catch up with my household chores, do a little shopping, catch a movie or sometimes travel to see and get inspiration from other live performances.
MM: I’m always on the search for new fabric for the costumes, so I like to attend fashion shows to see if I can get any ideas from there.
TH: I just like to relax, read and watch a movie.

Catch Drum Tao’s Art of Drum 2011 at the Esplanade Theatre from September 1 to 3. Tickets are on sale at www.drum-tao.com or www.sistic.com.sg.

 Win tickets to watch Drum Tao live in Singapore by answering a simple question.

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