Kristy “Aki” Oshiro (they/them) is a queer, trans and non-binary, 4th generation Japanese Okinawan-American professional taiko artist based in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area with over 30 years of experience. Founder and Artistic Director of the Tsubaki Ensemble, Queer Taiko, and SOKO Taiko, Creative Director of Placer Ume Taiko, and instructor of San Mateo Buddhist Temple Taiko. Aki also teaches taiko drumming classes in many cities from Nevada City to San Mateo and is available for group performances, touring, collaborations, school assemblies, residencies, workshops, private lessons, original compositions, corporate team building, rearrangement work, and artistic consultation. (Photo Credit: Stacy Lee)

Original Composition: Earth & sky

Original Composition: Ha!

Performance with wiz khalifa and nana ouyang

Upcoming Performances

Coming to Toronto April 19 & 20 – Constant State of Otherness – by Unit Souzou, with guest performance by RAW Taiko.

Come take in the Canadian premier of Constant State of Otherness, an engaging, multi-layered performance work rooted in questions of identity and self worth – how we identify ourselves and how we label others. 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. Weaving personal narratives from the ensemble with stories collected from diverse youth and adult community collaborators from across the country, Constant State of Otherness redefines whose stories are told, unpacking, unraveling, and acknowledging our stories to reveal the complexities and nuances of identity. By allowing stories to fractally unfold through the resonance of drum, voice and movement, Unit Souzou offers an invitation to find our shared longing to belong.

Showtimes: Friday April 19, 2024: 7pm Saturday April 20, 2024: 7pm + Q&A (45mins, beginning at 9pm)

Location: Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON Tickets: $25-45 CAD Sliding Scale (+HST)

Accessibility: -The Al Green Theatre is wheelchair accessible -To reserve accessible seating, please contact info@ragingasianwomen.ca -This production includes audio-visual projections of image and text, including closed caption videos. -Total runtime of the show is approximately 110 mins, including intermission. -Accessibility information will continue to be updated.

A community workshop will be presented by Unit Souzou in conjunction with this production on Saturday April 20th from 1-3pm at Al Green Theatre. Tickets will be sold separately. Stay tuned for details and subscribe to our newsletter for advanced/discounted spots!

This is a Toronto Taiko Festival production, supported by Canadian Heritage.

🎟 Visit the link in our bio for tickets! 🎟 [ID in comment section]

Photo by Ross Peter Nelson ID: A promotional poster shows the spotlit image of a person in a darkly colored costume facing away from the camera, holding large drum sticks, and reaching towards a tall drum. Onto the drum is a projected black and white image. White text on a black background above reads: RAW Taiko Presents Constant State of Otherness. White text on a black background below reads: A Toronto Taiko Festival Production April 19 & 20, 2024 Al Green Theatre 750 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON torontotaikofestival.org. In the corner are the logos of Unit Souzou, Toronto Taiko Festival, and Canadian Heritage.

Coming to Toronto April 19 & 20 – Constant State of Otherness – by Unit Souzou, with guest performance by RAW Taiko.

Come take in the Canadian premier of Constant State of Otherness, an engaging, multi-layered performance work rooted in questions of identity and self worth – how we identify ourselves and how we label others. 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. Weaving personal narratives from the ensemble with stories collected from diverse youth and adult community collaborators from across the country, Constant State of Otherness redefines whose stories are told, unpacking, unraveling, and acknowledging our stories to reveal the complexities and nuances of identity. By allowing stories to fractally unfold through the resonance of drum, voice and movement, Unit Souzou offers an invitation to find our shared longing to belong.

Showtimes: Friday April 19, 2024: 7pm Saturday April 20, 2024: 7pm + Q&A (45mins, beginning at 9pm)

Location: Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON Tickets: $25-45 CAD Sliding Scale (+HST)

Accessibility: -The Al Green Theatre is wheelchair accessible -To reserve accessible seating, please contact info@ragingasianwomen.ca -This production includes audio-visual projections of image and text, including closed caption videos. -Total runtime of the show is approximately 110 mins, including intermission. -Accessibility information will continue to be updated.

A community workshop will be presented by Unit Souzou in conjunction with this production on Saturday April 20th from 1-3pm at Al Green Theatre. Tickets will be sold separately. Stay tuned for details and subscribe to our newsletter for advanced/discounted spots!

This is a Toronto Taiko Festival production, supported by Canadian Heritage.

🎟 Visit the link in our bio for tickets! 🎟 [ID in comment section]

Photo by Ross Peter Nelson ID: A promotional poster shows the spotlit image of a person in a darkly colored costume facing away from the camera, holding large drum sticks, and reaching towards a tall drum. Onto the drum is a projected black and white image. White text on a black background above reads: RAW Taiko Presents Constant State of Otherness. White text on a black background below reads: A Toronto Taiko Festival Production April 19 & 20, 2024 Al Green Theatre 750 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON torontotaikofestival.org. In the corner are the logos of Unit Souzou, Toronto Taiko Festival, and Canadian Heritage.

Upcoming Classes