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| Wednesday, 14 July 2004 |
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Traditional Korean dance at BMICH : Elegant and smooth The Korean Embassy of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs organised two performances of the traditional Korean dance at the BMICH recently in order to promote and expand the cultural relations between Sri Lanka and Korea. The last traditional Korean dance was performed in May 2001 and this event offered a valuable opportunity for Sri Lankans as well as Korean residents to get a glimpse of the Korean culture. The troupe consisted of 15 members from the Yeajon Dance Group in Korea. Kyung-soon Son founded the Group in 1995 and she is the artistic director of the troupe. The Group is renowned for its endeavours to maintain the intricacies and comprehensive interpretation of traditional Korean dance, especially court dance.
She is a leading Korean dancer who researches traditional Korean dance and passes its legacy to those who train under her. She has been successful in stirring interest in Korea's traditional dances and has performed internationally since 1993. In this context, the troupe treated Sri Lankans to a sequence of colourful traditional Korean dances. The presentation in Sri Lanka consisted a variety of Korean dances such as court dance, folk dance and creative dance. Each was accompanied by traditional music unique to the specific performance. The scheduled program for the performance comprised Chun-Ang-Jeon, Ip-Chum, Sul-Jang-Go, Sal-Pu-Ri, Bu-Chae-Chum, Tae-Pyung-Mu, Chumsumu-Court Dance and Ggang-Gua-Ri-Chum. The main feature of the event was Bu-Chae-Chum. Widely regarded as the most unique Korean traditional dance originating from the shaman fan dance. Bu-Chae-Chum represents the national flower of Korea and this means brilliance and harmony and expresses the feelings of the Korean people. This elegant dance uses the fans to convey the beauty of the rose and the emotions of the nation and reaches a climax with the dances forming a large fluttering and rotating flower. "Chun-Ang_Jeon" is representative of Korean court dance and symbolises a nightingale singing in springtime. The performer in the dance is usually dressed in the colours of the nightingale and dances on a mat woven with designs of flowers. Its most striking feature is that it requires the dancer to smile elegantly. Ip-Chum can be regarded as the fundamental model of the traditional Korean dance. It does not have a fixed form, but rather it features a free spirit in relieving a dancer's inner grief. The climax is when the dancers perform an impromptu dance holding small drums called "So-go". The embassy is hopeful that a cultural exchange of this nature will be instrumental in further promoting and strengthening the friendly relations and cultural ties between the two countries. (IR) **** Back **** |
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