Bearfest brings Japanese folk drumming group to town as fundraiser

Wrangell's Bearfest doesn't start until the end of July but organizers have come up with a unique musical event to help drum up support for the annual all-things-bears weeklong celebration.

Unit Souzou, a Japanese folk drumming group, is coming to town as the first stop on their Alaska tour next month.

The group also is scheduled to perform in Petersburg, Anchorage and Bethel, said Sylvia Ettefagh, a volunteer organizer for Bearfest. The statewide tour is funded by grants.

"I look for opportunities that allow a cost-effective variety of music to come to town," said Ettefagh.

"The essence of Unit Souzou is an expressive blend of taiko (drumming) and Japanese folk dance," the group explains on its website.

Unit Souzou was founded in 2014 and has toured across the United States including Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Washington, D.C.

The Wrangell performance is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Nolan Center. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 to Bearfest.

"Part of what I look for is I want outreach in schools," Ettefagh said. The group will be at Evergreen Elementary School in the morning March 14, and at the middle school and high school in the afternoon.

"One of the decision points is that drumming is an international activity associated with a lot of different cultures," she said, particularly the Indigenous culture of the Tlingit and Haida.

"I want people to be exposed to different things."

Ettefagh said she learned about the possibility of getting Unit Souzou to town through the Alaska State Council on the Arts.