Karma: Urban Dance & Martial Arts Performance
By John Redmond
Contributing writer
For those who have experienced the sheer vibrancy and energy of ``Nanta (Cookin)," world-renown theatrical performance embracing elements of dance, martial arts and slapstick, producer Angella Kwon of the Patron Company in Korea has put together another internationally acclaimed performance, Karma. Kwon toured the globe with Nanta in 1999-2000.
After touring Scotland, Columbia, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico, the fantasy performance, Karma, will be staged at the National Theater of Korea from Oct. 16 to 25 in the Small Hall Dall.
According to the theater, Karma is a spectacular combination of martial arts, ritual and dance, revealing awesome powers of mental and physical concentration.
The cast includes four Korean martial arts grand masters (Gods) performing impressive katas (sequences) with swords, rods and spears.
The power of these katas is counterbalanced by six graceful women (Goddess) whose dances with fans, bells and lighted incense draw on Korean urban dance. The drama is further enhanced by the production of elegant black and white paintings produced live during the performance.
Karma, literally translated, means ``action" or ``performance." Simply put, Karma is the result of cause and effort. And so the show Karma is the effect of many patient hours, days and weeks of pondering how to coordinate diverse elements into one cohesive whole that would be greater than the sum of its parts.
The show is the new, reworked version of a show that once had a previous life as the self-titled ``Yin-Yang." To make the show appeal to a wider audience, the same dance and martial arts elements that made the original version so popular have been refined and are now combined with a compelling fantasy story.
The plot synopsis revolves around one of the Gods, the evil Asura, who steals the enchanted fruit, a magical item which bestows celestial omnipotence on anyone who possesses it. In an attempt to claim the throne he murders Karis, whose death disrupts the balance of the universe and plunges it into darkness. Now, where there was once bountiful life and beauty, there is only death and decay.
Tickets for Karma are 50,000 won and 40,000 won. There will be a special 20 percent discount on group bookings of four or more people. Performance times 7:30 p.m. weekdays, and 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekends. No performances Monday. The show lasts for 100 minutes, including intermission.
For more information, contact Angella Kwon at 010-3245-9279 or email: angellakwon@gmail.com
Venue Box Office: 02-336-1289. Online: www.interpark.com.