By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
At first glance, the two performances _ ``Aga-Boom'' and ``Jump''_ couldn't be any more different. Yet, if we delve a little deeper, one can soon see sharp similarities.
``Aga-Boom'' is the Las Vegas-based performance that features plenty of circus fun and clowning,'' while ``Jump'' is a Korean comic performance based on traditional martial arts.
But the two different performing groups share something in common: They are both non-verbal performances and by Oct. 7 will both have experienced their glory on Broadway.
On that date the Korean performance team will start performing at Union Square Theater, an off-Broadway venue.
The ``Aga-Boom'' troupe, who took to the stage at New Victory Theater on Broadway in 2004-2005, are visiting Korea to perform their shows at COEX southern Seoul until Sept. 1, and met with the Korean martial arts performance team to share some of their Broadway experiences.
Dimitri Bogatirev, producer and performer of ``Aga-Boom,'' said that he wanted to see ``Jump'' as he was impressed by ``Cookin,'' a Korean non-verbal performance about around chefs in a kitchen a few years ago.
``It's my second time to see the Korean show. The first show was ``Cookin'' on off-Broadway and I liked it very much,'' he said.
In fact, as soon as they touched ground, they went straight to the performance agency to inquire about ``Jump,'' because they heard so much about it from abroad.
He said that the Korean non-verbal shows are attractive to many foreign audiences.
``It was funny and martial arts are musicals full of drums like all of the `stomps.' They did everything uniquely traditional yet also fused newer styles with older elements. It's interesting for me to see Asian shows,'' he said.
``We've also been to the New Victory Theater in 2004 and 2005,'' he said. ``It is on Broadway but it's called off-Broadway, because it never runs any of the features for a very long time and it's on the corner of the 42nd street,'' he said.
The troupe members are renowned for Cirque du Soleil's ``Alegria'' and ``O,'' the Ringling Brothers Barnum and the Bailey Circus.
Based on a unique style of a theatrical clowning, the performance combines the unbridled silliness of slapstick with the humor of physical comedy with theatrical expression, poetry and the European avant-garde.
The Las Vegas performance troupe consists of two groups: Americans along with Russians and Ukrainians. ``Now you can see most people here from Russia and Ukraine,'' Bogatirev said. Bogatirev's son, Anton was born in the United States.
Aga-Boom was directed by Dimitri Bogatirev and premiered in Hollywood in 2002 and was a sold-out performance until 2005.
The act magically blends the best elements of circus, comedy and experimental theater in a manner that has yet to be seen on stage, and shares many similarities with ``Jump.''
Concerning the non-verbal performance, Bogatirev said characters are the key element in communicating with the audience.
``What does the audience remember? They remember characters. If you touch hearts of audiences by your characters, they will remember you forever…like we remember Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton, any movie characters, just because we believe they exist…This is the most important. They have to remember you because they had a very good time watching you on the stage,'' he said.
``Jump'' officially began in 2003. Some members are still from the original cast. The troupe has 70 members and 9 members make up each team, which rotate for performances.
Most members majored in acting for dramas and musicals in colleges and universities except for a female actress who has done apparatus gymnastics since her elementary school days.
The two groups said that they will hopefully see each other's performances on Broadway someday.