Findingtheperfectbeat

CONVERSATIONWITHJANETKOIKE ||| BYCHUCKBARNEY

Foryears, Janet Koike, anaccomplishedtaiko drummer,yearnedto establishacozy,laid-backplaceintheBayArea whereresidentscouldcome togethertoshareexperiencesinmusic, dance, theater,film and artseducation. The dream finallycame togethervia Rhythmix CulturalWorks,abustling facility inAlamedathatfeaturesan artgallery, amultipurpose classroom anda160-seat performance space. Koike tooksometime tochatabouthervision forRhythmix andexplain why she continuestopassionatelyfollow the callofthe drums.

Forpeople whoaren’tfamiliar with RhythmixCultural Works, tell us alittleabout yourplace.

It’sabeautiful space, andit’snice and intimate. Youfeellikeyou’re havingavery personal experience withthe performers. It’sareal communityfeeling,butwithquality,high-class arts.

Soundslike agreatspot to just relaxandhang out.

Definitely, and on Wednesdays we haveour ArtJams. Anyone cancome.We encouragepeople to bring something to work on and snacks to share. It’sareally comfortableand supportiveatmospherewhere peoplecanexplore their creative sideand havesome goodconversation.

So how did all thiscomeabout?

Iwas huntingfor a space, and I had lookedat alot of different buildings all over theBayArea. I had evenput bidson anumberof them. But then Isaw this beautiful industrial warehouse right near thewater,andimmediatelyI had buildinglust.

So itwasmeant tobe?

Partof it wasthat I was just charmed byAlameda,maybebecause I didn’tknow much about it. Itwas kind ofmysterious to me— alittle undiscoveredgem.Anyway, Ibought itin2001, butit took a few years tobring it to life. Ihad it renovatedin2007,anditjust turnedintothis reallysweetspace.

Myintentionallalong was to have aplacetouplift people’sspirits, and that’sexactly whatit does.

I’ve heard abouttheseso-called bingoextravaganzas you have there…

Well, I guess theydon’tfall under thebanner of “high-class arts,” but they’revery popular, and they’redefinitely acommunity builder.It’slike apartywith costumes, liveentertainmentand dancing.We have them every other month,andthey’retied to themes.

That sounds nothing likethe old-schoolbingomostof us know about.

(Laughing) Notevenclose. One of our guestsdescribed it asa “mini-vacation” —anightwhere shecan take her mind offwork and otherthingsand justhave some fun.

What kind of personalreward do you getoutof all this?

Ilike tomakethingshappen,and Ilike toconnectwithpeople. To fillaroomwithmusicis an absolute joy to me. Because it’sasmall venue, people are abletohave very intimate experienceshere.

Let’stalkaboutyourtaiko drumming. How didyouget into that?

Yearsago, Isaw some women performing in San Francisco.I thought: “Wow,whatawonderful combination of culture, rhythm and movement.” Iwas mesmerized.

LEARNMOREATWWW.RHYTHMIX.ORG

And you’ve beenpounding away at it ever since.

Yeah, but I play differentlynow. When I wasyounger, I enjoyed the full, all-out expression of what I call“spill-a-gut”playing. Iwent atit as hard as I could. I was verymuchwanting to express myphysicality.Now,that’snot as interesting to me. I’mmoreinto the complexities.Ienjoy creating musicthatcombinesnontraditional instruments with traditional Japanese taiko.

I’ve seen some of yourperformances on YouTube.There is so much energyandexpressivenessand … Shameless mugging?

Yousaid it, not me.

Iremember onereviewerwho wrote, “I haven’tseenasmany unabashedsmiles sincethe Miss America Pageant.”

Did you takethatasa compliment or criticism?

Idon’tknow, but we reallyare just havingfun. Life is short. If you can share yourpassion with others, that’sagreatthing.

And you and your fellow drummers have done a lot of touring?

We’ve been toChinaand Japan. In the ’90s, wegottoplayCarnegie Hall, andthatwas prettyspecial. So yourdrummingcertainly has taken you places.

On the otherhand,we’ve played some not-so-glamorous venues— like atthe statefair,right next to the pigraces.

Oh wow. Kindofacomedown. Yeah, butIactuallyhadalot of fun, …andthepigs were really cute.

Tasty