A few weeks ago a student gave me two tickets to see some traditional Korean music and dance. I was delighted by the opportunity, and agreed to see the performance. When I arrived and looked around at the audience, I realized that Erik and I were the only foreigners present. The hall was new and beautifully modern, and as the curtain went up I didn't know what to expect.
The first performance was a 'flower' dance performed at palaces long ago. It was by far the most beautiful of the performances. The women wore beautiful hanbocks in rich primary blue, yellow, and red. They bobbed up and down in time with drum beats to create an effect of the red section of their gowns appearing and disappearing in slow, graceful movement. In this meticulous way, they danced around a huge vase of beautiful pink flowers, each picking up a bouquet of them and incorporating them into the dance. This performance was stunning.
The next performance consisted of the playing of two gayageums (Korean harps). This is the uniquely Asian instrument that you think of when imagining stereotypes of this part of the world. However, this performance was anything but stereotypical. The musicians were skilled, and they sang folk music to go along with their playing.
Among other performances such as folk dancing, there was a beautiful performance of the Crane Dance. The dancers came out wearing all white with long white fabric hanging from their sleeves to symbolize the crane. They leaped around the stage, flapping their arms to represent the graceful movements of the crane. This dance was quite a treat to watch.
The last performance was a drum troupe consisting of four musicians playing a large gong, a small gong, an hourglass shaped drum, and a large round drum. These instruments symbolize wind, clouds, thunder, and rain. The musicians took time to showcase each instrument and their own skill, which was very impressive. I had no idea a hand held gong could be such a versatile instrument. The troupe's beat started off slow, but soon raced to a galloping crescendo, leaving the audience roaring with applause.
The entire performance was really amazing, and I'm very glad that I was able to see it. I was much more impressed with this performance than the one I saw in Kyoto. I wish more people had a chance to see just how beautiful and wonderful Traditional Korean culture can be. It is a perfect mix of Chinese and Japanese influences, creating something totally unique and wonderful. Just ornamental enough to be elegant and beautiful, and just symbolic enough to be mysterious yet approachable, it appeals to me more than either Chinese or Japanese traditional culture. I hope that in the future more people will discover this gem waiting to be found.
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