During the week before spring break, while the typical Aragon student labored over last minute projects and mock AP testing, senior Elias Chanteloup was on the other side of the world in Qatar. This was not an ordinary vacation, but rather a performance tour for Chanteloup’s Taiko group.
For the past nine years, Chanteloup has been involved in Taiko. “Taiko is a Japanese art style of drumming that was brought over to America by my Sensei, Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka,” says Chanteloup. After two years of practicing, Chanteloup worked his way up to the performance level and has since been able to showcase his skills with the rest of his group. “We have performances throughout the year, including two big shows we put on ourselves and several tours including the Qatar tour that we just did,” Chanteloup says.
Through Taiko, Chanteloup has been able to perform for a wide array of audiences and cultures.
He says, “I’ve performed across the United States, Japan, and now Qatar as well,” adding “Our first show was for the government in Qatar. An energy company had us play for some celebration for a milestone they had just reached.”
Chanteloup most recent performance gave him the opportunity to compare experiences. “Out of all the audiences I’ve played in front of, Qatar is by far the most reserved. I feel like this is much in part of the way the government wants its people to act, but the people at our second show definitely enjoyed us a lot more than the government officials.”
Despite the initial composure of the audience, Chanteloup’s group was able to successfully captivate them by the end of the performance. “They started showing how much they liked it afterwards,” says Chanteloup. “We had a line of people who wanted to take photos with us and get our autographs, so I feel like they definitely enjoyed our show.”
In addition to sharing his music with others, Chanteloup also gains personal gratification from this art form. “Taiko gives me and my fellow drummers an escape. I can let out my stress, exercise, and get really good at something that no one else does.” Because of this, Chanteloup plans to continue Taiko through college. “I’ve looked at several collegiate groups as well as groups in the area of colleges that I’m interested in,” he explains. “Taiko has become a huge part of my life and I feel like I could never stop being a Taiko drummer.”
