Tao

Garish costumes, dazzling lighting, slapstick humor – Kodo this ain't. While Japan's most famous taiko ensemble are all about traditional aesthetics, rival group Tao put the emphasis on performance, making their stage shows far and away the more spectacular of the two. It's the kind of thing that rankles purists, sure, but it's served the Oita-based drumming troupe well: to date, they've performed to over four million people in 17 countries, most recently as part of a 44-date tour of North America last year.