By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Walking along the mural-covered walls of ancient tombs, one may wonder what it would have been like to breathe, mingle and live during those times. Among those who did was Kook Soo-ho, one of Korea's celebrated dancers and choreographers, who not only dreamed about it, but brought ancient history back to life through dance.
Kook, the head of the Didim Dance Company, is celebrating the 45th year in his career.
It's been a long time, but he is a man looking ahead.
``I'm still working on resurfacing our traditional dances based on the murals in ancient tombs. I've done Goguryeo, so next year we will make Silla, Baekje, Gaya and then the Goryeo Kingdom. My wish is to put these performances on stage every day and present them to not only the Korean public, but also to the world. Introducing our dances, songs, music and art and help them feel our history: that is my dream,'' he told The Korea Times during an interview at his office in Jamsil, southern Seoul.
He was born in 1948, in a small village called Bibongmyeon in North Jeolla Province _ ``bibong'' means ``flying phoenix. ''
``Even before reaching middle school, I enjoyed dancing in front of everyone else. I was a drummer in a band during middle school and also played the janggu (a double headed Korean traditional drum) during high school, so I was accustomed with both Western and Korean traditional music beats and styles from an early age,'' he said.
His understanding in the music styles of the West and the East enabled him to incorporate them into pieces, such as using Stravinsky's ``The Rite of Spring,'' in one of his traditional dance works.
Knowing that he wanted to become a dancer, he moved up to Seoul to pursue his dreams, but the poor boy from the countryside seldom got noticed in the competitive world of art. However, the determined Kook did not waste his time.
``I knew if I wanted to be different, I had to have much more than dancing skills,'' he said, showing his display of books and artifacts of dance, music, art and history.
As soon as he finished his military service, he turned to acting in university, danced as a member of the National Dance Company of Korea, and enrolled in Korean folklore courses during his graduate school years.
``It was to learn the roots of Korean dance theory,'' he explained.
Traveling around the world was one of his best assets, he added, advising young people to travel whenever they had the time, as it is the best way to broaden their perspectives.
``Traveling through Europe and Africa helped me think about how to bring Korean dance to the international level, and also what I could do as a dancer,'' said Kook.