Lifestyle - The Korea Times

World Masterpieces to enrich theater festival

By Chung Ah-young Must-see theatrical masterpieces of a lifetime are coming to Korea. A total of 30 pieces — one each from eight countries as well as 22 Korean productions — will be on stage at the 5th World Festival of National Theaters from Aug. 31 to Oct. 30. Since 2007, the festival has been a major event organized by the National Theater of Korea, to expand cultural exchanges with other countries. “Through this festival, we have invited prestigious world national theaters to Korea and sent Korean traditional troupes to other countries as part of cultural exchanges. The festival will accelerate the globalization of Korean stage art,” Lim Youn-churl, president of the theater, said during a press conference Tuesday. Among this year’s overseas performances, Comedie Francaise’s “The Imaginary Invalid” and the National Theatre of Prague’s “The Makropulos Case” are not to be missed. “The Imaginary Invalid” written by legendary French playwright Moliere will return to Korea 23 years after it was first performed here to celebrate the Seoul Olympic Games

Jul 27, 2011

Korea’s utmost craftmanship in Sydney

By Do Je-hae One of the largest museums in Sydney will showcase ancient and contemporary Korean artworks, to mark 50 years of relations between Korea and Australia. The Powerhouse Museum will introduce Korea’s cultural heritage through a designated four-month exhibition. The exhibition, which starts on Oct. 27 and runs through Feb. 26 2012, will highlight tangible masterpieces of Korea’s ancient metal craft. But more importantly, it will aim to convey to Australians and numerous visitors to the country a Korean spirit of “jang-in,” or utmost craftsmanship. “Korea has much to show the world on how to pursue development while maintaining a very strong cultural heritage,” said Dawn Casey, director of Powerhouse Museum, at a news conference, Monday, in central Seoul. “The exhibition represents the traditional cultural heritage of Korea’s excellent and beautiful metal craft and contemporary metal craft.” “The Korean consul-general invited the museum to host an exhibition to celebrate the 50 years of friendship between Australia and Korea,” Casey added. The museum is e

Jul 26, 2011By Do Je-hae

Trailblazing dancers join major ballet troupes

By Do Je-hae A number of Korean ballerinas have found success at some of the most respected European and U.S. dance companies, but rarely have male dancers made headlines until now. Recently, three budding ballerinos were admitted to major companies in Russia and Europe after phenomenal competition successes, with support from the Woongjin Foundation. But their stories are not widely known, due to the lack of interest in ballet among the general public and a lack of media coverage. Kim Ki-min, 18, a student at Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), was accepted by the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia for the first time as a male Asian dancer and will officially join the prestigious troupe in September. Kim is the winner of the 2010 International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Choi Young-gyu, 20, also a student of KNUA, will join the Dutch National Ballet in August. Han Sung-woo, 18, the first Korean male dancer to win second place at the Le Prix de Lausanne, will enter London’s Royal Ballet, also in August. “What these dancers have achieved is jus

Jul 26, 2011By Do Je-hae

Media art creates afterlife in Kokdu exhibition

Web cartoon meets exhibition By Chung Ah-young “With the Gods,” a renowned Web-based cartoon on life and death has been turned into media art at an exhibition at Kokdu Museum in Daehangno through Sept. 25. The popular cartoon written by Joo Ho-min realistically and wittily portrays the afterlife of human beings who are subject to seven trials for 47 days based on traditional Korean myths. The museum has dealt with afterlife subjects through its collection of “kokdu” or wooden figurines of human beings, animals or plants which were used for decoration on the funeral bier. Kokdu represent traditional Korean culture and various ancient beliefs to protect the dead from evil spirits and pray for them in the next world. Although kokdu look coarse and simple, the carving techniques feature fine touches of the craftsman, and a sense of color indicating the splendor of natural beauty. Titled “Afterlife, The Journey to the Other World,” the exhibition is designed to show Koreans’ traditional views on afterlife in an easy and intriguing way by focusing on philosophical backgrounds

Jul 25, 2011

Actor-musicians set sail in ’Moby Dick’

By Kwon Mee-yoo A piano, wooden boxes, piles of skulls and a ship’s wheel decorate the stage of Space 111 of Doosan Art Center to become Pequod, a whaling ship seeking Moby Dick, with a mast and the moon as the backdrop. The actors not only sing and dance but they do so to their own musical accompaniment in “Moby Dick,” which began its voyage at the theater on Tuesday. Based on Herman Melville’s 1851 novel, the musical tells the story of Ahab, captain of the Pequod who is desperate to kill the notorious white whale Moby Dick, through the narration of young sailor Ishmael. Ishmael’s friendship with Queequeg, a brusque but sensitive sailor skilled with the harpoon, is another focus of the musical. “Moby Dick” is the first musical staged in Korea where the actors play their own instruments while acting, singing and dancing. John Doyle’s productions of “Sweeney Todd” (2005) and “Company” (2006) are considered successful experiments of such shows. Cho Yong-shin, a musical critic making his directing debut, classified “Moby Dick” as an independent musical, similar to an ind

Jul 22, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Clubs

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area, Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Visit www.ohoo.net. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong subway station Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for unforgetable nights of dancing and debauchery. Reborn after extensive renovations to maintain its reputation of a quality club with a superior sound system, luxurious setting and s

Jul 21, 2011

Classical Concerts

Classical concerts 2011 Premiere Philharmonic Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) July 27 The symphonic works by Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer and pianist known for the invention of symphonic poems, will be performed by the Premiere Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth. Liszt’s “Symphonic Poem No. 3 ‘Les Preludes’ S.97” and “Symphonic Poem No. 6 ‘Mazeppa’ S.100” will be played. Tickets cost 10,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 585-5964. The Sonata Series of the Beethoven Association of Korea _ Heroic Beethoven Seoul Arts Center* Aug. 29 In order to celebrate the 5th anniversary of its establishment, this association has been promoting Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas with 32 pianists, and dividing the performance into six sections. Its 4th performance is this August with "Sonata No.3 in C Major, Op.2-3" and "Sonata No.7 in D Major, Op.10 -3" planned. Tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3436-5929. 2011 Symphony Journey for Youth Seoul Arts Center*

Jul 21, 2011

Salt defines folk culture of South Jeolla

By Chung Ah-young South Jeolla Province is the nation’s biggest producer of salt. The specialized production has influenced the lifestyles and folk culture of the region. To introduce and highlight the special characteristics of the regions’ culture and as part of the “2011 Year of Jeonnam Folk Culture,” the National Folk Museum of Korea is holding a special exhibition titled “Flower of Salt” through Sept. 13. Salt is hand-harvested by farmers, and aided by the harmonious mixture of the natural environment such as sunshine, seawater, mud flats and wind. South Jeolla Province has the finest mud flats ranked among the world’s top five. The region has relatively shallow waters, a large tidal range, and clean fresh air along with an abundant amount of sunshine, offering ideal conditions for producing high quality salt. The region’s salt ponds were created later than that of Juan in Incheon and Gwangyang Bay in Pyongyang in North Korea, which were established by the Japanese colonial government in 1907. But Sinan’s Bigeum County is the first salt pond that was formed in

Jul 20, 2011

Royal protocols open to the public

By Chung Ah-young The National Museum of Korea is holding a special exhibition through Sept. 18 to display “uigwe” (royal protocols) of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Featuring a total of 165 historical relics including 71 pieces of uigwe, the exhibition celebrates its homecoming after being looted by French troops on the Ganghwa Island branch of Gyujanggak Library in 1866. Designated as UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2007, the treasures are the essence of Joseon’s royal culture and the history of records. The documents were written during the Joseon Kingdom showing the Neo Confucianism culture with more emphasis on manners, the ruling ideology, and the governing system of the state. Particularly, the uigwe returned from France includes the only copies made to be viewed solely by the kings. The exhibition consists of six parts. The first part focuses on the definition and composition of the uigwe during the Joseon Kingdom and deals with the ancient preservation efforts of the royal records through the construction of “oegyujanggak” (royal archives) on

Jul 19, 2011

Theater man returns to basics

This is the second in a series of interviews of heads of Korea's top theatrical companies. ― ED. By Kwon Mee-yoo “Forest Fire” changed the life of Park Myung-sung, 48, president and chief producer of Seensee Company. He first saw the realist play by late Korean playwright Cha Bum-suk when he was in high school. It made him fall in love with theater. In 2007, he turned it into a new musical “Dancing Shadows.” He spent 5 billion won but suffered a 2.5 billion won loss when it received harsh reviews. But that hasn’t stopped Park. From acting to producing Born in Haenam, the southernmost town of mainland Korea, he called himself a “chonnom,” which means hillbilly in Korean. “Seeing ‘Forest Fire’ changed my life forever. I started to wonder how a play was made and dreamt of becoming a man of the theater,” Park said. After graduating university, he joined theater troupe Dongin and started acting from scratch. "I wasn’t onstage for more than two minutes. I mostly played characters who died or were kicked off the stage,” he said. “At that time, untrained actors were not a

Jul 18, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater