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South Korea’s Busan National Gugak Center charms with traditional performances
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Traditional show: Female dancers perform the traditional Korean dance 'Jangguchum' during the Beautiful Korea, Dynamic Busan event at Ciputra World, South Jakarta, on Sept. 16. (Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center Indonesia) (Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center Indonesia/Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center Indonesia)
T
he traveling South Korean band of performers showcased their country’s traditional dances and songs in front of Indonesian and Korean audiences.
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 evening.
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.
Taking place in the mall’s theatrical auditorium on the 11th floor, the room was packed with over a thousand seated spectators, both Indonesians and Koreans. At 7 p.m., the performance started with Jangguchum, a dance performed by carrying janggu -- a Korean traditional drum -- diagonally around the shoulder.
“This is one of the hardest dances in South Korea,” the event’s MC told the audience. And it was apparent at first glance: The female dancers, garbed in traditional costumes, swung and twirled in a tight choreography that required fast footwork.
The next two dances, Hanryangmu and Abakmu, further explored the traditional values woven within the show. The former, performed by male dancers, told the story of Hanryang, a wise man whose knowledge of customs enabled him to move elegantly. The latter’s name referred to a small gourd used as a Korean traditional instrument, and it was a royal court dance performed by the female dancers.
As more performances were presented, the crowd became increasingly cheerful and impressed. There was Geomungosanjo, where a performer played traditional folk tunes on a wooden stringed instrument; Jinsoechum, a colorful and masculine dance; and South Korea’s very own traditional hand-fan dance, Buchaechum, which took the crowd’s hearts with its stunning choreography and glow-in-the-dark props.
And the encore eventually prompted a standing ovation from the audience. Samulnori, or the traditional percussion quartet, played four different instruments in a steady progression that climaxed in a boisterous clanging, thrilling the spectators.
“You did great!” exclaimed one ecstatic audience member in Korean before the quartet ended the show with a bow.
“South Koreans have always loved our performance, and the feedback is always good. But seeing Indonesians giving the same feedback and being just as enthusiastic as the South Koreans made us feel like we are one with them,” the performance director Song Sang Hyuk told 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 such an honor to introduce our traditional culture to Indonesia, and hopefully Indonesia and South Korea’s bond becomes stronger through these shows,” she added.
