Taiko Chicks

Annie and Emmy have been studying Taiko drumming for the past two years. It's a Japanese drumming style on a variety of large drums. There is a local Taiko Dan (group), and one of them is a teacher at the charter school. The girls have been going up to the middle school to practice and perform with the older kids. Today, we had a huge Arts Festival in Moab, and the girls performed. Here's the pics....

Annie and Emmy (above) with their drums on stage in front of a pretty large crowd at Swanney Park.
Emmy playing alone (some songs require the drummers to begin a line or processional as the group joins into the song one by one and the drummers use multiple drums, moving from drum to drum as everyone joins in gradually leaving just one drummer again).
Annie drumming. Some of the traditional Japanese songs have the performers wearing animal "masks" mostly for fun, but also out of symbolism to a particular song's message, origin, or purpose.
Annie rocking.
Emmy rocking - green masked.
Emmy crouched down smiling. During some songs, as participants move into and out of the drum line, they will duck down behind the drummer or drummers waiting their turn to jump in.
The middle school group with a few younger kids - Annie 3rd from the left in an orange mask. Emmy is second from the right in a green mask.
The two hosers.