MUGEN TAIKO DOJO
The Place of the Way
Bringing excellence and accessibility to taiko in the UK
The Mugen Taiko Dojo is an educational organisation dedicated to the spread and development of the art form of Taiko Drumming in the UK. The Taiko Dojo, the UK's first Centre for Taiko Drumming, was established in 2002 by Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, who since 1994 have led the way in popularising Taiko drumming through their extensive touring & hard-hitting energetic shows.
The twin goals of the Mugen Taiko Dojo teaching programme are accessibility and excellence. Weekend workshops at the Dojo are open to the public and attract participants from all over Britain and Europe. The teaching work at the Dojo ranges from introductory workshops for beginners through to intensive courses for Taiko performers, taught at the highest professional level.
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The Taiko Dojo's extensive outreach programme takes Taiko drumming into the heart of communities throughout the UK through Dojo performances, educational concerts for schools and hands-on workshops for both children and adults, introducing the art-form to a wide range of new audience & participants.
At the pinnacle of the Mugen Taiko Dojo's teaching programme is their in-house training, which develops and nurtures players right through to touring professional players. The members of the Dojo training programme also perform as the Dojo Performance Team representing the Mugen Taiko Dojo at a variety of festivals and events. The more experienced members join Mugenkyo in performances further afield, and after several years of training, some Dojo members go on to become touring members of the professional group.
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There is an audition process to join the Dojo training, which first consists of joining one of the local courses, after which we consider applications for membership. Please contact us if you're interested in joining our team.
It is the aim of the Mugen Taiko Dojo to make Taiko accessible to everyone, set a standard of excellence, respect and preserve the ancient traditions of taiko, while at the same time develop taiko as an art-form relevant to the time and place in which we live.
The Dojo
The Mugen Taiko Dojo is a converted farmhouse surrounded by the gentle rolling hills of the South Lanarkshire countryside. The building is originally a 100 year old byre with two foot thick stone walls, and has been carefully converted into a purpose-built Taiko rehearsal space - the first of its kind in the UK.
With natural wood flooring, under-floor heating, and mirrored walls, and with a vast range of taiko drums & percussion, top quality instruments imported especially from Japan, the Dojo provides the ideal environment for learning this ancient discipline. There are also facilities for the disabled.
Dojo Accommodation
We run residential weekend workshops at the Dojo, where all the participants are able to stay in the newly refurbished accommodation at the Dojo House.
Location
The Dojo is located south of Glasgow, just off the M74, near the village of Strathaven. Travelling distance from Glasgow is 40 minutes, and from Edinburgh is 70 minutes. Visiting outside of set public workshops is by appointment only, as the Dojo is in constant use by the various training groups based here.
