“In Search of Something Else”: Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Taiko Drumming, and Queer Spectatorship

Abstract

This paper argues for the possibility of queer spectatorship in renowned taiko player Tiffany Tamaribuchi's performances. Taiko is an athletic and spectacular form of ensemble drumming with roots in Japanese culture. An award-winning taiko player who has trained and performed in the United States and Japan, Tiffany Tamaribuchi also founded the Sacramento Taiko Dan and Jodaiko, an all-women's taiko group comprised of members from throughout North America. Despite working within a conservative performance framework and within a form that is often framed as “multicultural” performance, Tamaribuchi's performances with the all-women's group Jodaiko can be seen as queer. Using performance analysis and a close reading of Tamaribuchi's performance of a solo called “Odaiko” in a 2006 concert, I argue that Tamaribuchi's taiko performances invite queer spectatorship both through Tamaribuchi's queer gender performance and the affective, kinesthetic relationship taiko drumming can produce between the audience and spectator.