2012 New Taipei City Music & Dance Festival – National Drumming Contest Event Brochure

Do you think you have exceptional drumming skills? Do you have the magical powers to stun and dazzle your audience? Would you like to display your drumming abilities on the national stage and become the first drumming champion? Do you want to earn the top cash prize in the national drumming contest?

The top prize is NT $500,000, and the total prize to be awarded is up to NT $2 million! In addition, you have the opportunity to perform alongside with other highly skilled international drum players!

The art of drumming transcends cultural barriers and age differences. Hurry up and register for the New Taipei City National Drumming Contest!

1. Purpose of the Event

In order to enhance the cultural environment of New Taipei City after its municipal upgrade from Taipei County, New Taipei City Music & Dance Festival is organized to embrace core values of originality, cross-border collaboration, and inspiration. Through this festival, an abundant array of cultural elements will be displayed as it provides a platform for passionate art performers and professional cultural groups across the country to exhibit their creativity. In particular, the National Drumming Contest is held to encourage everyone’s participation in cultural performances and promote outstanding cultural environment. All fervent individual and group drummers across the country are invited to participate in this contest. A website will be set up for this contest so that everyone will be able to vote for their favorite contestants to win the qualifier. Those qualifying contestants will then compete during the music and dance festival; and for the final round, musical experts will serve as judges to provide feedback to the contestants. To conclude the festival, the drumming champion will be presented on stage alongside with renowned international drum groups to put on a dazzling performance. Everyone is encouraged to register for the contest, vote for the qualifying teams, or simply come out and enjoy the performances. The New Taipei City Government wishes to inspire originality in arts and coordinate cross-border to discover the best drum groups and percussionists. By creating the best performing stage for dedicated art performers, the depth and scope of Taiwan’s performance arts will be improved.

The National Drumming Contest is divided into two parts:

(1) The Golden King of Drummer Competition

Using “drum” as the core of the performances, the competition stimulates originality, cross-border collaboration, and creativity. There will be no restriction on the type of drums used, and other musical instruments, dance, or drama can be incorporated into the performance. Regardless of age and group composition, as long as you can play the drum with all your heart and are willing to show off you skills (the performance must be appropriate for the general audience and suitable for onstage competition), we welcome everyone to display his/her creativity and performance repertoire!

(2) Taiko: Drum Master Competition

This competition is based on Taiko: Drum Master, the popular Japanese arcade game. All expert gamers lurking in the arcade or at home are welcomed to join in this competition and become the arcade drum master!

2. Event Timeline

(1) The Golden King of Drummer Competition
4/1 - 5/25: Recruitment of drummers across the country
6/1 - 6/15: Online vote for the qualifying contestants
7/1: Onstage drumming contest
7/21: Final round of the drumming contest
7/22: Performance by the drumming champion

(2) Taiko: Drum Master Competition
6/1: Online registration
6/23 - 7/8: Preliminary (warm-up) round
7/21 - 7/22: Final round

3. Event Planners

Sponsor: New Taipei City Government
Organizer: The Department of Cultural Affairs, New Taipei City Government

4. Details of the Contest

(1) The Golden King of Drummer Competition

a) Registration Date: 4/1/2012 through 5/25/2012
b) Qualifications: There is no restriction on age or nationality. Any individual or group who is passionate about playing drums can register for free.
c) Type of Performance: There is no limitation on the type of drums played, nor is there a specific performance style required. We encourage originality and cross-border collaboration, using drums as the main theme of the performance. Other instruments may be played, as well as dance and drama may be incorporated. It is a time to show off your creativity and performance repertoire!
d) Type of Contestants: Both groups and individuals can participate in the contest. To encourage participation by teenagers, both group and individual contestants will be further split into adult and teenage contestants (the registration ends on 5/25/2012; if there are members under age 18 in the group, the average age will be used to determine group category). For individuals who are already participating in the contest as members of a group, they can also register as individual contestants.
e) Rules:
(i) Qualifier: The contestants shall upload video clips of their performance highlights on YouTube. Members of a group can also register as individual contestants; however only one video clip can be submitted per group. Video clips must be uploaded before 5/25/2012. After review, the event sponsor will link the video clips on the event website and allow everyone to vote. Based on the view and vote counts of the video clips, an estimate of 40 groups and individuals will be selected, though the event sponsor reserves the right to make recommendations. Contestants can actively promote (via blogs and Facebook) their video clips and encourage fan viewings and votes. Everyone who participates in the voting can enter into a draw to win prizes.
(ii) Semifinal: The contestants selected in the qualifier will compete in the semifinal at the New Taipei City Cultural Center Auditorium (No. 62, Zhuangjing Rd., Banqiao Dist., New Taipei City) on 7/1/2012. One song of the contestants’ choosing will be performed (bonus points will be awarded for original song writing). Performance time limit for individual contestants is 3 to 5 minutes, while for group contestants it is 3 to 8 minutes (including the time used to settle on stage). The contestants will be evaluated by the judges. An estimate of 20 group and individual contestants will be selected.
(iii) Final: The contestants selected in the semifinal will compete in the final round on 7/21/2012 in New Taipei City Hall square (tentative). The performance time limit will be the same as in the semifinal. The contestants will be evaluated by the judges. An estimate of 12 group and individual contestants will be selected.
f) Evaluation Components
Performance techniques and professionalism 40% (percussion techniques, body language, performance professionalism, energy)
Creativity and performance effect 30% (creativity, cross-border collaboration, stage effect)
Costume style and props 20% (costume style, performance style)
Originality of the song and rhythm 10%
g) Registration Method: Registration for this event will be done via online only. Please visit the website of Department of Cultural Affairs, New Taipei City Government or the event website at http://www.musicdance.tw to download the registration form. E-mail the completed registration form to ab3123@ntpc.gov.tw and note “National Drumming Contest Committee” in the e-mail title. The video clip must be uploaded on YouTube before midnight on 5/25/2012. The organizer of this event will review all registration forms and formally announce the list of contestants. Beginning 6/1/2012, the video clips will be uploaded on the event website and online voting will be conducted.
h) Contact: Arts Promotion Division, Department of Cultural Affairs, New Taipei City Government. Phone: (886)2-2960-3456 Ext. 5981

(2) Taiko: Drum Master Competition

a) Registration Date: Register on the event website beginning 6/1/2012 (each session is limited to 30 people; registration will close when this number is reached)
b) Qualifications: All arcade drumming game fans can register for the competition
c) Gaming Machine Used: Taiko: Drum Master arcade machine
d) Type of Contestants: Contestants will be separated into two groups, the beginners group and the cosplay expert group. The beginners group is limited to ages 15 and under. The cosplay expert group has no age restriction; however, contestants must dress up as an animated character. Contestants without cosplay will be disqualified for the competition.
e) Rules:
(i) Warm-Up: The competition will be held during the New Taipei City Music and Dance Festival (Xinzhuang Stadium on 6/23/2012 and 6/24/2012, Sanchong Stadium on 6/30/2012 and 7/1/2012, Yonghe Renai Park on 7/7/2012 and 7/8/2012). The beginners group will start from the “bamboo shoots” difficulty level, while cosplay expert group will start from the “pine tree bonsai” level. The song choice must be at least 2 stars or above. Contestants signed up for the cosplay expert group will be disqualified if they do not dress up in cosplay. Contestants can bring their own drumsticks. Each contestant will play one song under regular mode. Each day one contestant will be selected from each group to compete in the final round.
(ii) Final: The final round will be held in New Taipei City Hall square. The beginners group will compete on 7/21/2012, while the cosplay expert group will compete on 7/22/2012. The beginners group will start from the “pine tree bonsai” difficulty level, all in regular charts. The cosplay expert group will start from the “demon” level, and will make a draw to decide to play in regular charts or hidden charts (i.e., if the first song drawn is in hidden charts, then all contestants’ first song will be played in hidden charts). Contestants in the cosplay expert group will be disqualified if they do not dress up in cosplay even if they have advanced to the final round. Contestants can bring their own drumsticks, and the order of performances will be decided by a draw. Each contestant will play three songs, the first and second songs will be drawn from a pool of designated songs; for the third song, each of the six contestants will write down their best performing song and one song will be selected by a draw.
f) Evaluation Components
(i) Warm-up: Each contestant’s score will be tallied each day and the contestant with the highest score for the day will advance to the final round. To give other contestants a better chance to advance, a contestant can only win once in the six days of competition. On any given day, if the contestant with the highest score has previously won, then the contestant with the next highest score will be the winner for that day. To encourage crowd participation, everyone at the event can vote for their favorite cosplay contestants, and the vote count for each contestant will be added to each of their scores accordingly.
(ii) Final: The accumulated score for both rounds will be calculated to determine the winner. Everyone at the event can vote for their favorite cosplay contestants, and the vote count ranking will be taken into account in each contestant’s accumulated score.

5. Prizes

(1) The Golden King of Drummer Competition

The top prize for the group category of the Golden King of Drummer Competition is NT$500,000 (one winner is selected between the adult and the teenage contestants), and the top prize for the individual category is NT$120,000 (one winner is selected between the adult and the teenage contestants). Winners from the qualifying round will receive certificate of “The King of Drummer- the Most Popular Drummer on the Internet” (award is given at the semifinal), and are invited to join the contest semifinal. Winners from the semi-final will receive certificate of “The Finalists of the Golden King of Drummer” along with NT$8,000 cash prize, and must participate in the final round. Winners from the final round may receive different awards such as “The Top Golden King of Drummer Award,” “The Most Skillful Drummer Award,” “The Best Performance Award,” “The Most Creative Award,” “The Best Crossover Performance Award,” and “The Judges’ Special Award.” The exact amount of cash prizes for the finalists will be determined by the organizer and the judges based on contestant type and performance content.
In addition, to encourage public participation, anyone who votes in the online qualifying round of The Golden King of Drummer Competition (starting at midnight on June 1, 2012, and ending at midnight on June 15, 2012) will have a chance to receive NT$1000. To encourage everyone to promote this event as well as their favorite artists, a special award of “The Promoter” along with NT $5,000 cash prize will be given to the person who puts the most effort in promoting this event.

(2) Taiko: Drum Master Competition

The top prize for the beginners category of The Taiko: Drum Master Competition is NT$30,000, and the top prize for the cosplay expert category is NT$50,000. The winners from the warm-up round will receive certificate and cash prizes for “Finalists of the Taiko: Drum Master Award” (NT$4,000 for the beginners category and NT$6,000 for the cosplay expert category), and they must participate in the final round. The winners from the final round will receive “The Master Award,” “The Champion Award,” and “The Veteran Award.” The exact amount of cash prizes for the finalists will be determined by the organizer and the judges based on contestant type and performance content.

6. Terms and Conditions

(1) Registration Process: Potential contestants must complete their registration according to the instructions stated in this brochure, and only those who are approved by the organizer will be qualified for the contest. If the potential contestant does not complete registration before the deadline or fails to provide adequate information, s/he will not be able to participate in the contest, and all documents submitted will not be returned to the potential contestant.

(2) Fees: No fees will be charged for this event. However, contestants are responsible for any costs related to the production of their video clips, delivery of registration materials, transportation of instruments to the performance site and press conference, and other incidental fees for the performance.

(3) Monitoring: During the online voting process, if vote counts are found and proven to be improperly inflated, the organizer has the right to eliminate invalid votes or cancel the contestant’s qualification. The order of performances for winners from the qualifier will be decided by the organizer based on performance content, and no disputes will be accepted. If the contestant is found and proven to be using a false name for the competition, his/her qualification and award will be cancelled. All contents regarding notifications sent about the contest shall be viewed as part of the information stated in this brochure. The winners selected from each round of the contest will be announced by the organizer.

(4) Information Authorization: Contestants must agree that all materials submitted (including contestants’ background information and video clips) can be used by the organizer for media promotion. Contestants must also relinquish the copyright of the performance as well as the right of publicity to the organizer. In addition, the organizer has the right to allow media coverage on the contest, the right to reproduce contestants’ performances into CDs, books, or other publications, and the right to use them for perpetuity.

(5) Infringement: All performance materials must be obtained through legal means. The organizer shall not be held liable for any tort or dispute caused by the contestants’ violation of any rights including copyright, right of publicity, and etc. If such violations occur, the contestants will be disqualified from the contest, and all awards and cash prizes will be returned to the organizer. Award vacancies resulted from such violations will not be refilled.

(6) For contestants who qualify for the final round of the competition but fail to participate in it (including The Golden King of Drummer Competition and Taiko: Drum Master Competition), they will be regarded as forfeiting their awards and are prohibited from receiving their certificates as well as cash prizes. The final round qualification, along with the award certificates and cash prizes will be given to the contestant with the next highest score. Top prize winners from The Golden King of Drummer Competition in both the group and individual categories will be required to perform and rehearse in an international gala event on July 22, 2012 without payment.

(7) All certificates and cash prizes will be mailed and remitted to the contestants by the end of August 2012. Pursuant to income tax regulations, for cash prizes over NT$20,000, 10% tax will be withheld prior to remittance; as for cash prizes over NT$1,000, the recipients must report such income in their tax returns, and the cash prize payer will withhold a certain amount of taxes and issue a withholding tax statement to the recipients. Group contestants will receive their award certificates and cash prizes through their designated representative stated in the application form. Allocation of the prize dollars must be carried out by the group; the event organizer will take no part in such allocation.

(8) Contest Terms and Conditions: Contestants who have successfully completed their registration process are regarded as agreeing to all terms and conditions for this event. The organizer holds the right to interpret any terms and conditions. If the terms and conditions fail to cover certain situations, the organizer has the right to modify or make amendments accordingly.

2012 New Taipei City Music & Dance Festival – National Drumming Contest