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I knew the stage at the Moanalua Performing Arts Center would be full. That was the purpose – to fill the stage with every living, breathing, Soran Bushi-dancing student our school could muster for the 18th Annual Taiko Festival held on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2024.

What I didn’t realize until the moment all of those students took the stage at 2:15 p.m., a mere hour and 45 minutes before the actual program began, was just how crowded the stage would be. Garbed in happi coats, kneeling in seiza, heads bowed forward, waiting for the cue to leap to their feet, they barely fit, even with some 10 of them crouched on the risers at the back of the stage.

But crowded as it was, I was thrilled to see them arrayed as they were elbow to elbow, ready to dance. I was thrilled also with our decision to engage the incredible audio engineering team at Rhythm and Roots Records led by musician and engineer Chris Lau. He made certain our focus remained squarely on the performers, so that, with the support of the staff at the Moanalua Performing Arts Center, Rhythm and Roots, and ‘Ōlelo Community Media, our student drummers, musicians, and dancers had their performances amplified and recorded without concern for technical issues arising.