Metro

Saturday October 24, 2009

Korean cultural extravaganza to mark 50th anniversary of Malaysia–Korea ties

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN


IT WAS a treat for the senses at the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Performance staged at the Craft Complex Ampitheatre in Kuala Lumpur recently. The audience was captivated by the colourful costumes and awed by the richness of a culture unfamiliar to many of them.

A 40-member tour team comprising art directors and performers showcased a variety of performances, ranging from folk songs to court music.

One of the performances was Korea’s Designated Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 92 called Taepyeongmu, which was performed by distinguished performer Baek Hyun Soon, who has won numerous awards.

Traditional banquet entertainment: Dancers performing the Hwagwanmu dance.

The dance, which is also known as the Dance to Pray for Peace and a Good Harvest, is based on a unique rhythm that expresses movement in stillness and is used in shamanistic rituals.

The performance started off with the graceful Hwgwanmu dance that has a 2,000-year-old history and was performed to entertain guests at royal banquets.

Each of the five dancers wore a crown with beads in five colours and executed movements with their hands covered completely by colourful long sleeves.

The same troupe, from the Baek Hyun Soon Dance Company, also performed the Sogo Dance, in which they each held a small drum with a handle known as a sogo and depicted various activities conducted by farmers, hunters and soldiers.

The Samulnori performance brought some light moments. The Samulnori consists of four instruments, namely the janggo, which is an hourglass-shaped drum, the buk or barrel drum, the kkwaenggwari or small gong, and the jing or large gong, that represent rain, cloud, thunder and wind respectively, and the exuberant antics of the kkwaenggwari player, traditionally the leader of a farmers’ band, amused many guests.

Seeking blessings: Baek performing the Taepyeongmu or the `Dance to Pray for Peace and a Good Harvest’. Baek is also a famous performer of two other Important Intangible Cultural Assets.

Three people, each distinguished in their own field of specialty – Kang Jung Sook, Won Jang Hyun and Kim Seung Jung – also took to the stage individually to play the 12-string gayageum, daegeum and haegeum respectively.

The music played on the instrument is called sanjo; it starts slow and gradually picks up the rhythm. It can be accompanied by byeongchang and together they make up Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 23, for which Kang is well known.

Won, on the other hand, won worldwide recognition for his prowess on the daegeum or large transverse bamboo flute because he created his own style of daegeum sanjo, a solo improvisational folk music that is acclaimed among his peers. He has performed in 50 countries, counting Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre among the venues.

Choi Su-Jung then entertained the audience singing Gyeonggi Folk Songs from the Gyeonggi-do Province that is designated Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 57.

Best known for harmoniously combining traditional and modern Korean music, the Sookmyung Gayageum Orchestra also performed a medley of songs, including the Canon in D by Pachelbel to which famed Korean break dance group B-Boys performed.

VIP guests: (From left) Bong, Yang di-Pertua Negri of Malacca Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob and Senate president Datuk Wong Foon Meng leaving the Craft Complex Ampitheatre after the event.

The award-winning group’s performance showcased various routines and individual skills as well as excellent choreography, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd who were obviously energised by the lads’ boisterous and feisty moves.

A troupe of dancers from Istana Budaya also performed local traditional dances and silat moves.

Korean ambassador to Malaysia Bong Ryull Yang said the event showed how much both countries valued their ever-growing friendly and cooperative relations.

“This is the beginning of the celebration to mark the important bilateral relationship between our two countries that will mark its 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations come 2010,” Bong said.

According to Information, Communi­cations and Culture Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Mohammad Mohammad Daud, Malaysians can expect to see more during the Korean Cultural Festival.

Next on the list of events is the Korean Contemporary Sculpture Exhi­bition at the National Art Gallery from Oct 26 to Nov 12, while the Korean Film Festival from Oct 30 to Nov 4 will feature the latest movies like Tsunami at Haeundae and Speed Scandal (with subtitles).

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