UNIT SOUZOU

We’re teaching taiko classes again!
As part of The Reser’s Musical Passport Series, we’ll be offering a four-class taiko series open to all skill levels. During the taiko sessions, you will actively participate in lively, rhythmic individual and ensemble exercises. Join us in celebrating community through the art of taiko - Sundays: April 12, 19, 26, and May 3, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.

To sign-up: https://thereser.org/classes/unit-souzou-taiko-drumming-class/

Tour Life Retrospective: Friends, family, and fans
So great to see some of our friends who came from many places as far as Boston and California.

Tour Life Retrospective: Group Cooking / Celebrate Community Meals
Sometimes the best way to unwind on tour isn’t at a restaurant—it’s in the kitchen! Cooking for each other means laughter, stories, and food made with care. Nothing beats the joy of sharing a meal in togetherness. ❤️🍜

Tour Life Retrospective - Food is so important on tour!
Food is more than fuel—it’s our way of learning about a place. Since our days are mostly in the theater, meals are often our only chance to experience the local community. We seek out small, family-owned restaurants to connect with the people and stories that make each city unique. 🍴✨

Tour Life Retrospective: Stamp Party!
Behind the scenes of a Unit Souzou ensemble stamp party! ✨ Every note card used at our show is hand-stamped by our ensemble members. We love including our audience in these small, meaningful moments—making them part of our story, one stamp at a time. 🥁💌

Tour Life Retrospective: Sanctuary Circle
The Sanctuary Circle, collaborated and designed by Horatio Law, is an installation honoring Japanese American incarceration. Featured both on stage and in lobby spaces, the tags pay homage to this history—a profound part of North American taiko.
The installation created an opportunity for us to remember our histories and give testimony through our stories on stage. It reflects ancestral resilience and survival, paving the pathways for our stories to be heard. Taiko has become a powerful voice deeply rooted in this history, carrying memory and testimony forward. 🥁✨

Tour Life Retrospective: Cramped Van Rides
Sometimes touring means squeezing into every inch of space—between suitcases, gear, and each other. 🚐✨ It’s tight, it’s chaotic, but these cramped van rides are part of the adventure and a reminder that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Tour Life Retrospective: Sometimes We Rehearse in Unusual Places
No studio? No problem! High school locker rooms work too! 🥁🚿 Keeping the rhythm going, anywhere we can.

Tour Life Retrospective: We Are Famous?
Seeing ourselves on posters, in newspapers, and even on billboards has been a remarkable and fun part of tour life! 🥁✨ Thank you to every community that welcomed us—it made us feel famous. 😎

Image 1 – Wrangell: Our promo video streaming at a museum! 🥁✨
Image 2 – Homer: Local paper feature—hello, fame! 📰😎
Image 3 – Walla Walla (1): Giant poster + our autographs—so fun! ✍️🥁
Image 4 – Walla Walla (2): Signing the wall of fame in the dressing room 🎶✨
Image 5 – Klamath Falls: Billboard vibes—feeling fancy! 😎✨

Tour Life Retrospective: Having Fun

Even on a busy tour, we always try to carve out moments to have fun together. From spotting bald eagles to glacier viewing, dog sledding adventures, searching for sea otters in Homer, or just hanging out and enjoying fresh asparagus from the garden—these little pockets of joy keep us energized and connected. 🥁✨

Image 1 – James Bond: Party time with the crew! 🎉📸
Image 2 – Glacier Viewing: Glacier vibes ❄️🥶
Image 3 – Dog Sledding (1): Dog sled adventures! 🐕❄️
Image 4 – Dog Sledding (2): Racing through the snow! 🛷✨
Image 5 – Looking for Sea Otters: Sea otter spotting! 🦦💦
Image 6 – Spotting Bald Eagles: Bald eagle sightings! 🦅
Image 7 – Hanging Out: Just hanging out 😎
Image 8 – Eating Michelle & Toru’s Asparagus: Garden-fresh asparagus! 🥗✨

Tour Life Retrospective: Post-Show Duties

The show might be over, but our work isn’t done. Sometimes that means washing costumes. When hotel machines aren’t available, we head to the laundromat, hang out, and catch up while making sure everything is ready for the next performance. 🧺✨

Tour Life Retrospective: Tech—So Important

A good show might look effortless on stage, largely due to the hours of work behind the scenes that are invisible to the audience. From load-in and setup to lighting cues and final prep, it takes a whole team of talented house staff to bring the performance to life. Without their care and precision, there simply wouldn’t be a show. 🙌🎭

Image 1: Petersburg, AK – Load-in 🥁
Image 2: Anchorage, AK – Lights check 💡
Image 3: Anchorage, AK – Sound check 🎶
Image 4: Homer, AK – Stage prep 🎵
Image 5: Homer, AK – Coordinating cues ✨
Image 6: Homer, AK – Final tweaks 🛠️
Image 7: Homer, AK – Almost showtime! ⏳
Image 8: Bethel, AK – Load-in and setup 🥁
Image 9: Walla Walla, WA – Spacing & staging 🎶
Image 10: Hillsboro, OR – Lights & speakers 💡
Image 11: Hillsboro, OR – Tech team in action 🙌