Fantasia - Explore Korean Traditional Dance
As part of Think Korea 2006, the Cultural Foundation of the National Museum of Korean Performing Arts Group presents a spectacular and flamboyant performance that displays the uniqueness and richeness of Korean dance traditions.

Programme

Hongdo - The song of live heated under the scarlet sun surges twining around the earth. All sorts and kinds of wind carry our dreams and send a coy mountain prose song with her skirts. A gentle smile makes us dance hand in hand and hear our forgotten home. Once again, the morning raises its head and gestures to us.  

Gyobang Dance - Solo dance of Professor Kang Mi-Sun The flower decoration was brilliant on the head. Yohwa Dance was a bright wind knocking the west window of the Gyobang of Jinju. It was neither the flute nor the crowd. The first frost was the sorrow of Yohwa who shivered several times in the shadow where her dance stopped.  

Hyangbalmu - A dance performed with a small percussion instrument in each hand, reminding of Espanola dance performed with castanets. Handed down from the Koryo Dynasty, it was an important dance together with Mugo (drum dance) in various court feasts and parties. The dance had been handed down until the late Chosun Dynasty and then disappeared.  

Yoryeonggomu Dance - This is a type of shamanistic dance using a lotus patterned drum iwht small bells on the bottom. It was modeled on the archetype of Dari'gut in Pyeongyang, the last capital of Koguryo.  

Bicheonmu Dance - This is a beautiful dance expressing the Buddhist geniality and mercy. It expresses the meeting of a celestrial maid with a divinity on earth. Dancing and putting Bichoen in the spirit on earth, the dancer describes the image of Cheonsugwaneum.  

Cheongpungmyeongwol (Fresh wind and bright moon) - Contain the hearts of all who wish a clean and bright world, weave them in rhythm and post it far away in the sky via the mailbox of the wind. Tumdedum tumdedum the sound stamping the ground wakes up the sky and opens its eyes. Tumdedum tumdedum the sound of the ehartthrob arouses the soul of sleepers.  

Sinkaldaesinmu - Solo dance of Professor Kang Mi Sun Also known as 'Eotjungmorisinkaldesinmu' because it starts with Eotjungmori rhythm, one of Gyeonggi shamanic rhythms. Sinkal is a tool used in shamanism. Jaeincheong's Sinkal is a long bamboo with Korean paper hanging down from the two ends, and is decorated more heavily than ordinary Sinkal. According to oral statement by Unhak Lee Dong'an, the dance was danced first by a princess who, faced with the death of her father the King, prayed his happiness in the other world through the dance, which was to prevvent evil spirits from hindering the father's journey to the other world and paving the way. The rhythm runs through Eotjungmori - Eotmori - Salpuri - Jajinmori and shamanic mystery is emitted from the dancing motion that draws and strecheds in the movement that looks to convey human petitions to God.  

Hunryeongmu - This dance was created after the military training of the old army by Han Seong Jun, who is the father of Korean modern dance in the 1930's. Referring to dancer Han Yeong Sook, the granddaughter of Han, it was reproduced through solo dance by Joeng Jae Man in 1983, and restructured and became famous as a group dance with the formation of Jeong Jae Man's Nammudan in 1987. The dance expresses training programs such as diposition and duel by the drillmaster and soldiers, and its moderate and dynamic dancing motion is remarkable.  

Pungmulhanmadang - In the dance, small and large Korean traditional drums gather together and make harmony through their unique rhythm, pitch and loudness. The basic spirit of the work is to express the idea of heaven-earth-man and the harmony of Yin and Yang through the consonance of all kinds of drums.

Thu 14 September 7:30pm London | ￡8, ￡12 |
The Bloomsbury Theatre | 02073 888 822 | www.thebloomsbury.com

Sat 16 September 7:30pm Manchester| ￡8, ￡12 |
Bruntwood Theatre, Royal North College of Music | 01619 075 555 | www.rncm.ac.uk