* * * * * * In celebration of the 9th Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan, Al-Gomhouria Theatre hosted the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company last week. The event was hosted by the Korea-Arab Society, under the auspices of the ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic of Korea. "The Gyeonnggi Provincial" is a dance institution that was originally created to preserve the Korean dancing heritage and introduce it to the world in order to understand the details of South-Korean culture. The institution's main band performed the most popular cultural dances around South Korea. During their performance in Egypt, they selected their most famous dances that transported the audience across time and space to view the culture and beauty of South Korea through Korean traditional dance. The dances were Samul nori (Ensemble of four percussions), Buchae-Chum (Fan dance), Jindo Buk-Chum (Jindo drum dance), Yangmyeon Tal-Chum (Double-faced mask dance), Janggu-Chum (Hourglass drum dance), Nongak-Mu (Traditional Korean game), and the Marionette dance. Samul nori is a very dynamic musical piece played by four kinds of percussions, namely drums and Korean traditional gongs known as Kkwaenggwari and Jing.
Buchae-Chum is the most representative dances of Korean culture, involving a group of dancers who create beautiful choreography with hand-held flower fans. Jindo Buk-Chum is originally part of a drum dance in the Jindo province, a district in South Korea. Unlike other regions in Korea, the Jindo province uses both sides of the drum, which crescendoes the effect of expressing delicate melodies and rhythms. The dance represents that culture and reflects the importance of dance in that district. Yangmyeon Tal-Chum is a double-faced mask dance consisting of an interesting love story that goes through sudden changes in dance routines via comical choreography. Dancers wear a double-faced mask that has a woman's face on the front and a man's face on the back. Janggu-chum is a rhythmic piece, where female dancers play various beats with the Janggu (traditional Korean drum) while tiptoeing and jumping across the stage in unique dance steps. Nongak-Mu is a dance that recently developed in the Korean community. Originally, it was a game farmers used to play with music in the background in order to add some fun and entertainment to their work. The Marionette dance is a hip-hop-inspired dance performance that produces creative dance choreography to tell a story. The dance is a mix of breakdancing and an old Korean dance. The performance showcased a beautiful stage as a series of scenes were portrayed, harmonizing between powerful and lyrical dance moves with dreamlike music.
The Gyeonnggi Provincial Dance Institution was firstly founded in 1993 to develop excellence and originality from the Korean traditional dances and to promote them overseas. Under art director Kim Jung-hak the company conducts more than 150 performances per year domestically and abroad, including the Arab world, Australia, Canada, China, JapanMexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US. The institute is laid on the foundation of developing traditional choreography and creating unique contemporary dance routines.
Photos courtesy of Embassy of South Korea in Egypt
