[indistinct chatter] - [grunts] [drumming] [drumming intensifies] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] - House is open.

House is open.

The stage is now closed.

We are half hour till places.

Half hour till places from the top of the show.

[drumming] - [speaking Japanese] - This is a first-time historic gathering of some of the best female taiko talent in the world.

Folks have come from Japan, from Canada, from the West Coast, from the East Coast.

[dramatic drumming] - [shouts] [cheers and applause] [dramatic beat] [drumming] [soft flute music] [soft rattling] [drumming] [soft indistinct whispers] [cheers and applause] [light music] - Mama?

- Yeah?

- When we go home, can I please have a popsicle?

- Yes, you may.

But you have to do violin right away.

No screens.

Okay?

- Okay.

- Thank you.

I'm a Korean adoptee raised in North Dakota.

I don't have a claim to taiko... [laughing] You know, at all.

Like, to me, it's an amazing gift that taiko has brought into my life.

And so not only do I get to play taiko and get to have an artistic life and artistic career, I want to give back to the community, to the next generation, to the other artists.

[violin playing] Why aren't there more professional taiko players that are women that are making careers for themselves?

Yay!

Very nice, very nice, very nice.

Did you do your D sharp?

- Yeah.

- I don't know, was this D sharp, honey?

- Are you sure?

- Is this D sharp?

- No.

- Where is the D sharp?

- Three.

- Like, give me-- - Nice.

- Told you.

- Awesome, you got it.

You were right.

Women are literally missing from the story.

[indistinct chatter on video] Want some rice?

I think you'll like it.

The rice is very yummy, honey.

Thank you so much.

Your commercial professional value as a female taiko player is less than the equivalent of a male.

- [singing] Why would fellow want a girl like her, a frail and fluffy beauty?

Why can't a fellow ever once prefer a solid girl like me?

- There are amazing taiko players, female taiko players that can blow your socks off, but they're kind of, like, scattered and kind of work in isolation, for the most part.

I've always wanted to produce an all-star concert to bring the best female taiko artists from Japan and from North America together and fill the stage and make it incredible.

Put women center stage.

[drumming] - [speaking Japanese] [soft music] [laughter] [all speaking Japanese] [percussive music] [dramatic drumming] [all speaking Japanese] - So welcome, Tiffany, Sasha, Nicole.

Yay!

[cheers and applause] I think--I think the-- I know we're back.

This is where--the first venue that we brought Tiffany in as a guest artist.

So it's a nice full circle.

So let's breathe in and then we can start-- get--get started.

Hey.

Here we go.

[all breathing deeply] [all speaking Japanese] Do you want our backstage tour?

Okay, let's do it.

So here we go.

- You don't need a shoe.

Oh, there it is.

Oh, okay, got it?

Ready?

Got it?

Oh!

How about that one?

Green room is where everybody hangs out and gets dressed and gets ready for the show.

Backstage with the sisters!

This way, yeah.

Ready?

Oh, so pretty.

One, two, seven.

Hello, everybody.

Welcome.

Thank you for coming tonight.

My name is Jennifer Weir.

I'm the artistic director of Enso Daiko and the executive director of TaikoArts Midwest, and... - My name is Megan Chao-Smith, and I am a guest artist tonight.

- And my wife.

[cheers and applause] I had the great fortune to live, train, and tour with a professional group in Japan.

We were in a bamboo forest, and we trained 11 hours a day.

But I was one of a handful of foreigners and much less women who managed to tour throughout Japan.

In my training, we were never to look weak.

And so if someone's limping or sick, like, we're not even supposed to show that.

You're not supposed to show, as a great artist-- like, people don't want to see that part of you.

They want to see you onstage when you're being otherworldly.

We used to do that in Japan after a show 'cause no one would ever compliment.

They only criticize.

- Uh-huh.

- And so we'd go, "Good job.

Good job today."

- [laughing] [bright music] We would get one day off a month.

Like, I was on crutches just because of the training.

And then I realized that I was going to die on the mountaintop with my group and never have a family, and I realized I didn't want to do that, so I came back to the U.S. and had my family, and I said, "I'm never gonna play taiko again."

[somber music] Hi, kiddo.

You like the makeup?

Mm-hmm.

You're so cute.

- Mm.

- Slanted angle or the puffy brown.

- Puffy brown.

- Okay.

- So you want to darken and frame your face.

Darken here and darken here.

And you don't need more makeup because you're beautiful.

- Where's mama?

- Mama!

I left Japan feeling I failed.

I became a nurse.

I know, don't pull it 'cause all the things will go... - I know, can I cut it?

- No.

And let's not mess with it.

- I know, but it's gonna catch on something and snag, and it'll be even worse, but if you snip, it will be safe.

Snip it!

Come on!

Snip it!

[groans] - Snip it!

Snip it!

- Come on!

- Jen always saw me as a wonderful performer and always saw me as a star and kept encouraging me to come out and play.

They have these contests in Japan, and if you win this contest, then you are launched.

I had a great fortune to go with our next artist, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, who since she was a very young girl, wanted to become a taiko player and was told many times no, no, no, no, no, no, no because she was a girl.

But she didn't take no for an answer.

We climbed up there.

We did our thing that we'd been practicing and practicing and practicing.

[drumming] We left the stage with great respect so that the 27 Japanese men after us could compete and waited.

People came up to Tiffany saying, "Tiffany!

"I saw you at the show last year.

You were so amazing."

This always happens.

Soon they were calling the winners and they announced the grand champion as Tiffany Tamaribuchi-san.

[cheers] [cheers and applause] [singing] We have to feed our people or everybody is gonna faint.

Aren't I different?

- Uh-huh.

[laughs] - Aren't I pretty?

No, I can play now.

[laughter] What do you have next, after us?

You've been bouncing around quite a bit lately.

- This has been an intense year.

- Good for you.

- I still feel like I'm doing good work is the thing.

Like, as long as I feel like I'm making a contribution... - Then it's worth it?

- Then it's worth it.

So I really gotta hand it to you, working full time and having a kid and--[laughs] - [sighs] - And still keeping directorship and doing all the things.

- Yeah, it's, you know, it's a juggle.

But I have a Megan.

- This is true.

- And I have a Josie for a daughter, which makes... - She's pretty awesome.

- Yeah, which makes things pretty awesome.

And you know, I'm not--I'm not being a professional.

I'm not touring.

I'm not trying to--I'm not trying to do that, right?

So that means that other things are possible because my ambitions are not that.

And then it's gearing up really towards the... both: Women in taiko project.

- Yeah.

- Yay!

Thank you for doing that.

- Oh, you're welcome.

- It makes me so happy.

- It makes me happy too.

It makes me happy and slightly ill. - [laughs] - I'm like, oh, my god.

Okay, we're really doing this.

- We're doing this.

- Yeah.

And then I'm like, "Oh, shit.

Now I have to actually do it."

[people singing] [drumming] - There's gonna be a concert.

It's, like, a 20-years-ago dream.

A long time ago, Megan and I were talking about how we wanted to bring together a bunch of the best Japanese artists we could think of with a bunch of the best North American artists we could think of.

- That's awesome, and you're one of the best performers.

- Well, thank you, Mother.

[laughs] - Yes, well it's true.

- It's just--it's gonna be amazing.

- You've come along with way, kid.

- I certainly have.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Take care, Mom.

[drumming] [all shout] [all speaking Japanese] [drumming] [vocalizing] [all shout] [soft music] [all speaking Japanese] [drumming] [birds chirping] [cheers and applause] - Hey, hello!

How are you?

- Good.

How are you?

Welcome.

- Thank you.

[bright music] It's so gorgeous.

Every time I walk in here, I'm like, "Oh, so beautiful."

- Yeah, so this is obviously, you know, a medium-sized opera stage.

- It's interesting 'cause I'm designing for a show where I don't know what the show is yet because we'll be meeting to collaborate with it.

But I'm thinking-- like, a typical taiko show will have, like, sort of these platforms in the back.

There's one artist who sometimes uses confetti at the end of a thing.

Is that allowed as long as we... both: Sure.

- Okay.

- No glitter.

Please no glitter.

[laughter] - No.

- We'll find that for--three years later, we'll find the glitter.

- We'll have twice as many people and that's not saying they're all gonna drum at every moment, you know?

So it'll be really interesting to me to see how this kind of takes shape.

- What's the date, roughly?

- February 29, 2020.

Leap Day.

Okay.

Okay.

Ah!

We're thrilled.

We're very thrilled to bring--to bring this here.

[soft music] [all speaking Japanese] - So it is the 20th anniversary of Hana-Hachijyo.

And Hachijyo Daiko is a style of drumming that comes from Hachijyo Island.

And 20 years ago, when she needed to do something for a show and she wasn't sure what she was going to do... - Mm-hmm.

- She decided to arrange a version of this piece that she calls Hana-Hachijyo.

And it has become one of the most popular performed pieces in both throughout North America and certainly in the world.

When I first talked to her about it... [speaking Japanese] You said, "I'm not a taiko player."

- Yes.

I'm a dancer.

- I'm a dancer.

I'm not a taiko player.

But almost every taiko player in the world sees this and just thinks it's badass.

- Badass.

- You are a badass.

You're a badass taiko player.

Yeah.

[drumming] [shouts] [shouts] [shouts] [plucky string music] [laughs] - Yay!

- [speaks Japanese] - Ah.

Listen to the audience.

[both speaking Japanese] [cheers and applause] [sweeping music] [drumming] [lively music] [cheers] [all speaking Japanese] - Okay, go... - Hello, nice to see you.

[indistinct chatter] - Welcome, and please eat!

[indistinct chatter] - Scoot over.

- And some strawberries.

- And some strawberries.

- And pineapple.

- And pineapple.

- Been pretty busy.

- Yeah, kind of crazy.

- Oh, oh, I'm gonna land on some these because... [all speaking Japanese] all: HERbeat!

[laughter] - Before you start leaving and going to bed and everything, I just want to briefly say so happy you're here.

[cheers and applause] [all speaking Japanese] Thank you for your patience as we kind of get slowly into our groove.

We'll get better at this every day.

The goal is for you to be you, to be your best you.

And it's my job to weave it together to--for the concert so you don't have to become something you're not.

Just be yourself, and I will try to weave us all together to be something even bigger.

I'd like to introduce Tiffany Tamaribuchi-san.

[cheers and applause] - Regardless of the challenges you face, regardless of what you had to schedule or cancel to--to choose to be here for this, you're making my dream become a reality, and I am so very grateful to all of you and especially to you.

[applause] - [speaking Japanese] - From Winnipeg, Canada.

- I am from Sacramento, California.

- I'm from Japan, Tokyo.

- I live in Toronto, Canada.

- San Jose, California.

- Honolulu, Hawaii.

- Portland, Oregon.

- St. Paul, Minnesota.

- I started out as an actor.

- Now I'm playing a little bit more, and I still love it.

- Besides playing Japanese folk music, I love making weird electronic music.

- [speaking Japanese] - Hoping to learn everyone's stories, those deeper stories that got us to where we are.

- I like to speak my English, no Japanese.

- Okay then.

- We're starting the show with this idea of introducing you all in little small groups and then jamming together for a little while.

So this will be the most complicated.

And if we figure this out, yes!

So Katsugi players all come in, cha, cha, cha, cha.

Then Yurika and I come in.

- Oh, we do?

- Yeah.

And then we come in.

Ahh!

And then all four really close.

Yeah.

all: Chizuko!

- Yomodo!

- Diana.

- It's so awesome already after just a few hours.

[indistinct chatter] Yeah.

So thank you!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good work, everybody.

[applause] Okay, break!

- [laughs] Step away from the toys.

All right.

Oh, thank goodness.

- Yummy yummy slop!

- Look at his his happy face.

- [laughs] Yummy?

You eat that?

- [laughs] [solemn music] [speaking Japanese] [shouts] [drumming] [indistinct chatter] [laughter] - Beer?

Wine?

You can order here.

[indistinct chatter] [both singing] - Check my nails.

both: Baby how you feelin'?

- I'm as good as hell!

[laughter] - Good one, good one.

- I know these are very intense days.

Rehearsal, rehearsal, concert.

What am I doing?

What's happening?

All the Japanese artists have already had, like, some of their shows shut down because of COVID, so they're coming here knowing that they don't have gigs lined up afterwards.

We have 18 women.

There are lots of artists who want the spotlight.

- I want the artists to--to be able to make what they want.

All of us have spent our whole careers clearing the stage for men or some other agenda.

We've had big projects, but no one's ever seen or heard them.

We haven't been able to even share them with each other and we have this chance.

And there's this tiny stage.

It's like 20 by 20.

- Should our goal here be to give the audiences what we think they want?

Or should our goal be to give them what they don't know they long for?

[laughter] - Yes.

[dramatic music] - There's a lot of competition and jockeying.

The jockeying that all artists do in any production, but we're not supposed to be like that 'cause we're women and we support each other.

And so how do we be gracious and be nice or be--be women and not cutthroat, even though humanly, we all have that?

- We are coming together with ideas of what the concert will actually look like, which will be very helpful.

Yes.

- It's like a pressure cooker, so all your triggers get triggered and all your things come out.

What time do we have?

- It is 4:37.

- Heidi and Aki over here.

Similar kind of idea on this now.

Iris and Nomi, back here.

My process is so much messier and so much more organic that that instills a lot of, I would say, anxiety.

- Let's do real powerful, relaxed.

Serious.

- There's the--the little kid in me that just desperately wants everyone to be okay and make everyone happy, even though you know you can't.

And I just kind of bump around pissing people off, but I smile enough that they're okay with it.

[tense music] [indistinct chatter] Dressing room assignments.

- I don't have any specific thoughts or needs regarding dressing rooms.

- So this is what I got for dressing room assignments.

We would--when we load in... [indistinct chatter] So just a couple of things.

As you can hear from my voice, I am already...[laughs] Slowing down a little bit.

Maybe you feel the same.

[laughs] Sort of like kind of ancient to youth to kind of step into the light.

- Continuation?

- Yeah.

- And no matter what, if you are not feeling well and need to take time no matter what the schedule is, very important to do so, please.

Oh, good.

Okay.

Hai.

Good.

Thank you.

[applause] [whispering] Go.

Go rest.

Go rest.

[snoring] - So tired.

- You're so tired?

Hey, how was Taekwondo last night?

- Good.

- Did you get your nunchucks yet?

- No.

Can I have a day off?

I feel sick.

My throat--no, really, I actually do.

My throat... - I believe you.

- My throat hurts and like... - Well, you don't have a fever, sweetheart.

Sorry.

That means you have to still go.

- I would like two "Witches Dances" please.

- I'm hungry.

- I will feed you.

You have to work for your food, though.

- [groans] - "Witches Dance."

- Two times.

And then you'll do two later, or you could do all four now.

[violin playing] - Nice.

- Brilliant.

- Around the world, the number of coronavirus cases is surging, with health officials in a frantic rush to contain it.

- The CDC says they're bracing for the likely spread of coronavirus in the United States.

- For example, there's an epidemic in China, but it isn't a pandemic for the world yet, but it very well could be.

- Welcome.

Good morning.

I know we are all trying our best to be well.

So today, take it very easy.

No pressure.

We're still exploring.

[indistinct chatter] [all shout] [intense drumming] [somber music] - I was a tomboy, and I love to climb trees.

I wanted to be like my brother.

You know, I was very set and, like, very confident.

And it wasn't until the first day of public school.

I went there, and I didn't know I looked different.

- I am not American.

I'm not Japanese.

I'm not Japanese-American.

I also don't identify as a woman.

I left Hong Kong, where I was born and raised.

Grew up.

I moved to Hawaii to study taiko.

- As a second generation Asian-American, as a child, it was--our success was defined by our grades., you know, the number of clubs that we were in.

- I kind of lost my own sense of identity in the process.

I even changed the way I look.

- I remember somebody saying, "How come you have a flat nose?"

So I went home to my mother, and she said, "Oh, you are of a different nationality."

She said, "You are Japanese."

I don't want to be Japanese because I don't want to have a flat nose.

- At one point in college, I discovered taiko, so it became something that I really enjoyed.

It was my--my escape because there I could be free.

I could be loud.

It was the thing that kept me alive.

- Are you eating again?

- Yes, but I had the runs.

- Oh.

Oh, yeah.

You're just getting it all out of the way.

- Mm.

- Are you gonna play?

- In what?

- Iska?

- No.

- Do you want to?

- Yes.

- Well, you should try.

You have a week.

- I haven't made it to a single rehearsal.

How can I-- - Well, now you can.

Only because you've been sick.

- I know, I'm just saying it's not an easy song.

- I don't want you to regret it.

- I'm not gonna--trust me, I'm not gonna regret any of this.

I'm just gonna be happy when it's over.

- That's how you feel now.

- And then I'll be fine.

Do you want me to show you the jumping, or are you too tired?

- Yeah.

Are you tired?

[laughs] Just show me the-- - Oh, no, you just jump and I'll tell you what you're doing.

Yes, yes, and then dun, da dun, da dun.

- I think I'm not giving myself another leg.

- Yeah, but yeah, that's it.

- Okay.

[indistinct chatter] Okay.

- Light and bouncy and traveling and not heavy.

- Thank you.

- So tonight's rehearsal and run through, just a couple of things.

This will be what I call a rough run through.

And I know there are so many things we're still working, working, working.

But please for today, stay and watch the whole program so you can get a feel for the whole show and everybody's part in it.

All of Enso Daiko, all of TaikoArts Midwest is supporting HERbeat.

[soft instrumental music] We wouldn't be here if it weren't for everyone in this group fully committing to this project.

[drumming] I was hoping to get them all on stage, either at the beginning or at the end or hopefully both.

But I was hoping it would be the first number because it would be sort of like the biggest and the most welcoming-est kind of number.

- [vocalizing] [all speaking Japanese] - Hai.

America.

- America.

- Yeah.

California.

[indistinct chatter] - The time is approaching and nobody has enough practice time.

How are we gonna hold this together?

- Because to me, Enso as a whole group is supporting this project, so as a whole group, I want them to have a few moments.

Not... [speaks Japanese] You know, a few moments so we know that they are also making this happen.

[dramatic music] - So partly, I want to still give them the chance and then make the decision, yeah, just to say, like, do your best, and we-- just so, you know, we're looking at the whole picture.

But I want to give them a fighting chance.

- Hai.

- Basically.

And--but I'll still make that decision.

[bell chiming] - The warning from the CDC, the coronavirus is spreading so quickly around the globe, it may only be a matter of time before it begins rolling across the U.S. with the potential to become a pandemic.

- Jen Cho went to the doctor and she got tested for the-- whatever strain of the flu that's going around.

[flute music] Cho came back positive for the flu, and so I just-- I'm pretty sure that we all have the flu because I don't think half of us would have the flu and half of us would have COVID.

We either all have COVID or we'd all have the flu.

So I think because Cho got a positive flu result, then we all have the flu.

That's my theory.

- [grunts] [all vocalizing rhythmically] [all shout] [all vocalizing] [upbeat percussive music] [dramatic percussive music] [shaker rattling] - Yes.

- And we're in good shape.

What I need from the drummers before we break for our end of day, I need all of the drums to come off stage.

This does not include things on platforms.

Platforms can stay in place.

And drums can stay on platforms if they are on platforms.

- We need to record them first before we roll them off.

- Yes.

Yes.

Do what you need to do.

Make sure that you have everything sorted.

- I thought there would be more room on stage and there wasn't because of the platforms and they're square or--or rectangular, so they really cut off the space in certain ways.

There's just not enough room for everybody.

- Okay, so I just wanted us to have, like, five seconds to gather.

Similar to this entire process, it's been densely packed with hurry up.

Wait.

Hurry up.

Wait.

Go, go, go.

Wait.

Things were happening very quickly on stage and decisions were made very quickly partly to streamline and simplify the show transitions, things that are happening, and also knowing that the amount of rehearsal time from what is ideal to what we are working with, there's a big gap there.

So some things we just simply didn't have the rehearsal time it took to, like, really make it work, and then with some of the logistics that happened on stage.

So--so the changes are that Enso Daiko, all of us, will be playing in "Eleven" at the end and "Eh Ja Nai Ka."

We will not be playing in the intro or in the Chu Daiko.

So I want to say thank you for all of the work and prep that you went into getting ready to do those pieces.

And I'm sorry that we needed to cut you.

And I just wanted to let you know that I-- you know, those decisions are always really hard and I know we all sort of prepared knowing that, like, things may change and we're just gonna see what happens.

So I appreciate your flexibility and I'm sorry.

- It's gonna fly by.

I hate it.

I'm gonna miss it.

- I'm not.

- [laughs] You will someday.

- Maybe.

- Oh, I had a super, super sweet moment with Chieko-san.

- Tell me.

- She said it's almost over, huh?

It's like, yes, I wish we had a month to tour.

She said yeah, it'd be nice if we could, like, tour it more, and-- and then she said, but it's almost over.

[speaking Japanese] She's like, you did your best.

- It's so great to see you.

Thank God for you.

Hello.

- Hi.

Our house is a disaster, I'm warning you.

I'm--like, seriously.

- It's all right.

- About coming to Minneapolis 'cause he said, "It's so cold."

You gotta get some wool socks.

You gotta get this.

You gotta get that.

- The first few days were pretty cold.

- It was very cold.

[gentle guitar music] [indistinct chatter] - Oh, yeah, my back is just being a little funky.

- Really?

- Yeah, but it's okay.

- Do you need ice?

- I'm just gonna take some pills.

- I did rip my pants playing "Eleven."

[laughter] I felt it.

- Your nice pants?

- No, these pants.

- Oh.

- When we were playing 'cause we--we'd go like this, and I was like, rip!

[laughter] And I was like, "Oh, God," and I'm in the front row.

[upbeat acoustic music] - [singing Japanese] [all singing along in Japanese] [indistinct chatter] [laughter] - [softly] Let's go to bed.

Let's go to bed.

Let's go to bed.

- [laughs] - All my life, I never, uh, saw myself reflected back at me because my family looks very different from me.

So this story is a very simple thing, but to me, it's a story of... Grief and healing in one moment.

And it's when my daughter was born, because for the first time, there was another human on this Earth that I was connected to through blood.

As I was pregnant with Josie and-- Megan and I had so, so much love for her before we even met her.

I think of my birth mother who carried me, gave birth to me, and then gave me away.

I understood on a much deeper level just how hard that must be for her.

And I--I felt her grief in a way that I never understood before because I could not imagine having to carry and give birth to my daughter to then walk away.

I realized that I am a part of her, and she is so good, that maybe when I was a baby, I was that good too.

- Yeah.

- [laughs] - [speaking Japanese] Yes, yes, yes.

[speaking Japanese] - Grief for my mother and love for my... [gentle music] Baby self came together in this wonderful way of meeting my daughter.

[sweeping orchestral music] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [laughs] [cheers and applause] Ah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

This is a truly epic, historic moment in that this kind of gathering has not happened before.

Over the last two weeks, these 18 HERbeat artists from Japan, Canada, and the U.S. have been rehearsing from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at night, and then gone home and worked some more.

And this concert is not only a celebration of each of their individual voices, but it's a remarkable reflection of this incredible company and family that has formed over this time.

[cheers and applause] [exhales] So, everyone... [sighs] Thank you for being part of this.

This is truly one of the biggest honors of my life to spend time, to share the stage with these women.

They are each heroes, leaders, visionaries, and I couldn't be more proud and more humbled by our opportunity to share with you tonight HERbeat.

Thank you.

- [vocalizing] [soft music] - [shouts] [shouts] [upbeat percussive music] [audience cheers] [shouts] [shouts] [cheers and applause] [music builds] [cheers and applause] [audience clapping along] [flute music] - [vocalizing] [cheers and applause] - It was the first time that I feel truly and fully showing who I am on stage.

- We hope to inspire people, not the courage to win at all costs, but to persevere through all adversity.

- [shouts] [shouts] - We've been talking about this for how many years?

- Since before 2000.

- Just to sit in rehearsals, I thought even if I don't like to sit and watch everybody work together and talk together, and to build relationships and connections that did not exist before is the greatest gift that you have given me through this.

And then the concert was such... a powerful, historic, I think, life-changing creation.

The overall sense of the artists not knowing if they belonged, not knowing if they-- that they should be here, if they have a place here, if--if they could be a part of this in a creative and proactive way was heartbreaking.

People think that they don't somehow or can't contribute or don't belong somehow, when to me, it seemed just so-- of course you should be here.

Of course, this should happen.

[all shout] [cheers and applause] Why is it that we think that we don't belong?

What is it we think we can't do this?

You belong here.

We belong here.

We deserve this.

We deserve to do this work.

[gentle music] - Thank you.

I'm Kaoly from Japan.

[cheers and applause] [laughs] I want to talk about the last piece, "Eleven", a little.

I composed this piece at 2011 after March 11.

Do you remember that day in Japan a massive earthquake and tsunami, and thousands of people passed away only one day?

Japan was in a state of confusion.

And after that, we could gather and I stood in front of taiko.

At that moment, this piece was born.

2011 in March 11.

[shouts] [dramatic percussive music] And also, September 11.

But, not only for Japan, not only for the U.S., this is for the world peace.

[shouts] - I went to Japan 'cause the only thing I wanted was to be this beautiful performer.

And the irony is that I was so nervous and I hadn't done personal work enough to be that performer.

But HERbeat helped me kind of bring all of those pieces together.

Being fully unafraid to be who I truly am.

- [speaking Japanese] [laughs, sniffles] - Wipe your tear.

[laughter] - Aww.

- [shouts] I don't want to stop.

And I will miss everybody.

- [speaking Japanese] - [vocalizing] - And I know that everyone-- everyone had to really struggle at times with our bodies, with our brains, and to keep our spirits light.

[dramatic music] But I really feel that the way you grew and came together and supported one another made this a company like the likes of no one has ever seen.

[all vocalizing] - So tonight...

Please gather your power, your energy, your pray, your love to our sound.

Then it will be OURBeat.

Our beat roar to the all of the world, I believe.

[dramatic percussive music] [cheers and applause] [soft dramatic music] - [shouts] - I can say that everyone that was in that theater and has been a part of this project has felt and received and reflected back the immense power, joy, love, celebration.

All of the things that you have given have, like, just had an amazing, collective, growing wave of impact.

Thank you very much.

[speaking Japanese] [applause] - [shouts] [cheers and applause] - Yeah.

- [sniffling] [woman vocalizing] [upbeat percussive music]