YAMATO The Drummers Of Japan Return To The Soraya

Returning to The Soraya for the third time, the heart-pounding excitement of Yamato, the Drummers of Japan bring their new creation "Passion" to Los Angeles for the first time. A thrilling, high-energy and explosive interpretation of the centuries old Taiko tradition, "Passion" captures Yamato's virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance.

The performance takes place on Sunday, March 29 at 3:00pm. Single tickets start at $36 and are now on sale at The Soraya's ticket office, (818) 677-3000 and at TheSoraya.org.

Yamato has performed for more than a quarter century, bringing their jaw-dropping power and athleticism to 54 nations. These dedicated artists live together in a community and create each element of their performance themselves, including the music, choreography, costumes, and props.

To many Japanese people, Taiko drumming is a force that resounds at Shinto rituals and festivals in every part of the nation. The instrument, Yamato musicians believe, represents the identity of Japan. Thanks to Yamato and other troupes like them, the infectious spirit of Taiko has won new fans around the world.

The company says that audience spirits are lifted to new levels with the drummers' infectious sense of joy and entertainment as they light a fire of passions held within their bodies, honoring the drumbeat since, like the heartbeat, it is the very pulse of life.

London Theatre One said that "Exhilarating! Yamato is a revelation ... a dazzling display of Japanese drumming. Dedicated to their art...they display a staggering strength, using their entire bodies to play with an intense passion that comes out in their pounding, high-energy and thrillingly thunderous performances."

Yamato was founded in Japan's Nara Prefecture in 1993. The troupe has given over 4,000 performances in 54 countries and regions and an audience of over eight million. Every year, Yamato tours the world for 6 to 10 months, creating and presenting original Yamato compositions and stages. As a result of this relentless tour schedule, pursued over more than 10 years, audiences around the world await Yamato's arrival every year in growing numbers, sustaining and encouraging our efforts more than words can express.

For the players of Yamato, every encounter with the audience is a unique and precious experience. The company's greatest goal is to send audiences home after each performance with a new vitality and passion for life. As Yamato continues to tour and perform throughout Japan and around the world, whether in concerts, classrooms, school assemblies or workshops, the troupe will continue to cherish and uphold Yamato, the spirit of Japan.

Tickets start at $36 and are available at The Soraya, by phone at (818) 677-3000 and online at TheSoraya.org. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) is at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330. Yamato also performs on Saturday, March 28 at Cerritos Center.