ARGUGAKKI: “TRICKY LEFT”
WEDNESDAY, 3 JUNE 2026 | DOORS AT 19:30, PERFORMANCE FROM 20:00
THIS IS A GIFT ECONOMY event
Arugakki is the collaboration of dancer Minh Nguyen and wadaiko drummer Kristofer Bergstrom. With its forays into theatrical, performance-art productions, Arugakki has quickly become one of the most innovative and exciting forces in the world of taiko. Their new work,”Tricky Left”, is a powerhouse of original music and choreography, featuring taiko, percussion, synthesizers, and home-made instruments enmeshed with movement.
Arugakki debuted in 2020 with its critically-acclaimed theater production, “Harbor” (https://k–b.org/performances/harbor-premier). A preview of “Tricky Left” presented at the 2025 North American Taiko Conference was acclaimed as one of the most original and emotional taiko performances of the last decade.
Designed specifically for intimate spaces, “Tricky Left” pushes dynamic boundaries in both directions, from whisper-quiet brushes to heart-pounding, full-body taiko. The watchful music-lover will discover inventive instruments, original uses of rhythm, and never-before-seen drumming techniques. For the dance-lover, Arugakki offers a refreshingly original and earnest take on choreography, at times propelled by the music, and at other times indistinguishable from it. Visiting 30 states and provinces, “Tricky Left” presents all of this in the coziest, most welcoming of spaces; large living rooms, taiko/dance studios, libraries, and small community centers across North America.