Big Island Swing Band partners with San Jose Taiko for immersive community musical next month

Big Island Swing Band is collaborating with San Jose Taiko and Puna Taiko for “Swingposium,” an immersive production that will culminate in a community musical.

“Swingposium” combines taiko, jazz, swing dance, and theater to tell a hidden history of one way Japanese Americans maintained morale in World War II internment camps—through swing dances with live big band music.

The audience will be surrounded by the sights and sounds of a fictional mess hall serving as a dance hall behind barbed wire. Active participation pulls them into the emotional trajectory of the story: the fear and loss of being incarcerated without due process, the struggle to maintain dignity and hope, and the perseverance of the human spirit.

“Swingposium” will be held on the Big Island at Aunty Sally Kaleolani’s Lūʻau Hale in Hilo from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

For information and tickets, visit the San Jose Taiko website.