Unit Souzou presents 

Constant State of Otherness

May 9 | 7:30 pm | $20 advance / $23 day of show

Constant State of Otherness is a multi-layered performance exploring the impacts of the universal experiences of othering and alienation. Through taiko, Japanese folk dance, song, and personal story, six performers guide the audience through a four-part journey inspired by experiences of isolation and displacement that come from not having an easy sense of home. 

Rooted in ancestral wisdom and survival, Constant State of Otherness resists simplistic translations of language, cultural ways, and the complicated emotions that otherness evokes. By allowing their stories to fractally unfold through the resonance of drum, voice, and movement, Unit Souzou offers an invitation to locate our shared longing to belong.

More about Unit Souzou

“Souzou” can be written in three ways meaning “creation” (創造), “imagination” (想像), or “noisy” (騒々), alluding to a force by which new ideas are born and take shape in the world. 

Inspired by these words, the mission of Unit Souzou is to build creative, imaginative works while honoring the history and roots of the taiko art form. The core of Unit Souzou’s artistic voice is personal and authentic, sound shaped and inspired by form and by movement. The essence of Unit Souzou is an expressive blend of taiko and Japanese folk dance, forging new traditions for evolving communities. 

In addition to creating groundbreaking professional theatrical works, Unit Souzou is deeply committed to share taiko through community performances and collaborations, public classes for adults and youth, and school-based education programs.

Unit Souzou was founded in 2014 by co-directors Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe, relentless innovators at the forefront of a growing artistic movement within the taiko community. Fujii and Watanabe met at Warabi-za, Japan’s foremost traditional folk dance troupe based in Akita, Northern Japan. They have been guest artists and collaborators with many North American and international taiko groups.