** this website is currently under construction - thank you for your patience as we continue to build and update site pages!**
ABOUT STUDIO RAW
After years of temporary rentals, RAW finally established our own studio in 2020! Studio RAW, located at Dupont and Dufferin (1220 Dupont St, Toronto), is a 1700 square foot multipurpose music and movement space through which we can more deeply enact our community oriented values and commitments.
Studio RAW is a multi-use taiko, music and movement studio. This space is home to the RAW Taiko performance ensemble and to RAW Taiko led programs (classes, workshops, community groups and artist residencies) and productions (Toronto Taiko Festival). In this space we offer opportunities for movement, music, reflection, and self-expression; support the growth and longevity of the RAW Taiko performance ensemble and our communities; and grow the Studio RAW community rooted in arts, activism, interdependence & learning.
Studio RAW is also shared with and available to other community arts groups for short or long term studio rental. It is a QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous & people of colour) centered space - meaning that we do our best to foster relationships of active solidarity, allyship, and community building with QTBIPOC people, communities, and arts groups.
Out of this studio, RAW Taiko offers a variety of programs and services. These include:
RAW Community Group:
A membership based taiko group that meets weekly and is focused on community building through the joy of kumi-daiko (group drumming).
RAW Community Group, 2023
Taiko Classes and Intensives:
Offered throughout the year, these include beginner and intermediate taiko classes that are open to the public for a sliding scale registration fee. We also organise intensives with guest teachers that function as one-time focused sessions on a particular style, technique or piece of repertoire.
Artist Residencies:
RAW supports East/Southeast Asian music and movement artists in residence through which the artist is given access to free studio space and on-going support to develop their creative practice in exchange for community offerings (classes and performances). We are currently fundraising to make this a sustainable program.
Rentals:
Studio RAW provides affordable sliding scale rental space for local artists hosting events, workshops, classes, rehearsals and more. Studio RAW rentals are available to anyone, with a priority for queer and trans artists and artists of color, particularly movement and music based artists.