Why Does Imbach Sing and Dance Salsa?
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Every Thursday at a studio in Anguk-dong, Seoul, a Swiss diplomat shows up with a bag of T-shirts, a pair of pants and some shoes.
Once comfortable, Raoul Imbach, commercial and cultural counselor for the embassy, becomes a passionate dance instructor, teaching Salsa to four or five people.
The one-month old session stems from his experiences in Costa Rica 20 years back.
"I learned the dance to learn Spanish in Costa Rica," said Imbach.
While dancing is part of his life, it's not all he does on the sidelines of his 24-year-old diplomatic career.
He is also a passionate musician, who writes his own songs.
On Nov. 27, at the Goethe Institute in Seoul, Imbach unleashed his musical talent on Korea for the first time. His performance was part of a fundraising concert for Aikwangwon, an orphanage on Koje Island, which was hosted by the institute.
All the songs were his own, some of which were written in Korean.
He said life without music was inconceivable.
"Music is my life. It's in my blood," he said.
Starting at the age of five, when he went on stage for the first time, he spent part of his childhood as a musical prodigy. He has been invited to appear in local TV variety shows, concerts and singing contests.
Like many other boys with a gifted voice, Imbach's childhood talent began to fade, as he entered puberty, which created distance between him and his singing.
Briefly, he stopped practicing altogether. But "music was still in me."
His life changed directions, as he majored in economics in college, and chose to become a diplomat, instead of a musician.
In Costa Rica between 1990 and 1992, as vice consul, he came up with his first music album called "The Children of the World," a collection of music by Venezuelan composer Ricardo Montaner in French.
Then, came his second album, "My Life," in 2002.
Imbach recorded 20 new songs for the album "Urban Gypsy," which made him a celebrity.
One song, in particular, called "Em oi em" contains a few words in Vietnamese, he said, and became so popular that it "opened the way for multiple concerts and performances."
His musical career is a tribute to the passion it takes to pursue something, especially since he has not had any musical education.
Although he plays the piano while singing, he doesn't read the sheet music. Instead, he plays by ear.
In Vietnam, the fame he had achieved earned him performances at the Hanoi Opera House with his band, "The Wild Tortillas," and with the Vietnam Opera and Ballet Symphony Orchestra.
His Salsa experience in Latin America also earned him recognition as a "Father of Salsa"there.
He is yet to become popular in Korea. So far, all he's done has been limited to a few performances at his embassy functions.
He didn't say clearly whether his goal was fame in Korea, but he is desperately seeking to form band of his own with two or three other musicians.
But, "I guess I have to get fame first," to be able to create the band, he said with a laugh.
Imbach isn't the only diplomat to pursue music in his free time. Ambassador Pierre Clement Dubuisson from Belgium is a professional Bassoon player, and is gearing up for an upcoming performance in France.
Uruguayan Ambassador Nelson Yemil Chaben is a piano player, who occasionally gives concerts. In fact, Chaben will perform at a charity event this weekend in Seoul.