Melody Takata is a multidimensional artist who creates works that integrate the movement and music of Taiko (Japanese drumming art) and odori (Japanese folk dance) with elements of modern dance and contemporary music forms. She has received training for the past 20 years both in the US and Japan in Taiko, shamisen, and odori. Ms. Takata is currently studying shamisen with Hideko Nakajima through the Traditional Folks Arts Master Apprentice Program. Ms. Takata is also a Resident Artist at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and artistic director/ founder of Gen Taiko, an intergenerational performance and training program, which transmits Japanese culture through Taiko, Japanese folk dance, and other folk forms.