Radhiyya Indra (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta ●
Mon, September 19, 2022
The traveling South Korean artists’ band presented their country’s traditional dances and songs to Indonesian and Korean audiences.
The Busan National Gugak Center performed a wide range of traditional South Korean songs and dances at Ciputra World Mall in Kuningan, South Jakarta on Friday night.
The event, titled Beautiful Korea, Dynamic Busan, was part of the collaboration between the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center Indonesia (KCCI) to showcase the country’s culture.
In the theater hall of the shopping center on 11th On the fourth floor, the room was packed with over a thousand seated spectators, both Indonesians and Koreans. The performance started at 7 p.m Jangguchuma dance performed by carrying yanggu — a traditional Korean drum – diagonally around the shoulder.
“This is one of the toughest dances in South Korea,” the event’s host told the audience. And it was obvious at first glance: the dancers, dressed in traditional costumes, swung and twirled in a tight choreography that required quick footwork.
The next two dances Hanryangmu and Abakmu, further explored the traditional values woven into the show. The former, performed by male dancers, told the story of Hanryang, a wise man whose knowledge of the customs enabled him to move gracefully. The latter’s name referred to a small gourd used as a traditional Korean instrument, and it was a royal court dance performed by the dancers.
As more performances were presented, the crowd became happier and more impressed. There was Geomungosanjowhere an artist played traditional folk tunes on a wooden stringed instrument; Jinsoechum, a colorful and masculine dance; and South Korea’s very own traditional fan dance, Buchaechumwhich captured the hearts of the crowd with its breathtaking choreography and glow-in-the-dark props.
And the encore eventually elicited a standing ovation from the audience. Samulnori, or the traditional percussion quartet, played four different instruments in a steady progression that culminated in a hilarious clanging and thrilled the audience.
“You did well!” shouted an enthusiastic viewer in Korean, before the quartet ended the show with a bow.
“The South Koreans have always loved our performance and the feedback is always good. But seeing the Indonesians giving the same feedback and being just as enthusiastic as the South Koreans made us feel one with them,” said performance director Song Sang Hyuk The Jakarta Post on Friday after the show.
She shared that Gugak Center has prepared more performances and shows with KCCI in Indonesia in the near future.
“It is a great honor to present our traditional culture in Indonesia and hopefully these shows will make the connection between Indonesia and South Korea stronger,” she added.
