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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Varekai brings magical forest in circus

By Kwon Mee-yoo Cirque du Soleil, the world-famous circus troupe from Canada, returns to Korea with “Varekai” in April. Premiered in Montreal, Canada, in April 2002, “Varekai” tells the story of Icarus from Greek mythology. In the myth, Icarus falls to his death when he flies too close to the sun with wings made from feathers and wax. However, director Dominic Champagne brought him back to life as he lands in the mysterious forest of Varekai. The show was performed in some 60 cities since the Canadian premiere and more than 6 million people have been enchanted by the kaleidoscopic forest populated by fantastical creatures. Fifty-six artists from the Cirque du Soleil troupe will perform “Varekai,” a smooth enactment of a dramatic story combined with acrobatic feats including aerial hoops and straps, Georgian Dance, hand-balancing on canes, juggling, a triple trapeze and more. “Varekai” means “wherever” in the Romani language and bears the message that wherever the wind carries a person could be their new home. The characters include Icarus, the reckless young man w

Jan 19, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Gangnam exhibit offers more than urban history

By Chung Ah-young Moon Yeong-joon, 81, reminisces about the past in Jamwon-dong, southern Seoul, known as Gangnam. Forty years ago, the district was composed mainly of farmers working in cabbage fields and pear orchards before the urban development project transformed the landscape of the area. “Native residents left their villages because they had to sell their farmland even though the neighborhoods were growing faster due to urban development. They had no choice but to leave because they knew nothing but farming,” he recalls. He describes the present-day Gangnam as a miracle, saying he had never imagined this. Moon is one of the few who lived in Jamwon-dong and witnessed its stark facelift which began in the 1970s. His vivid comments are being screened in a video clip, along with historical photos and related documents on display at a special exhibition titled “40 Years of Gangnam, Exponential Growth” at the Seoul Museum of History in downtown Seoul. Gangnam refers to the Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu districts and widely denotes the part of the city south of the Han Ri

Jan 19, 2011

Actor Oh Dal-su to return to stage

By Chung Ah-young Often called a scene stealer in his major hit films, actor Oh Dal-su is returning to the stage. “Sunset, Moon Dance” is a home-grown work written by rising playwright Dong I-hyang and director Sung Ki-woong. In the new play Oh will perform as an old father who is obsessed with his child and eventually sacrifices himself for his offspring through traditional Korean language, song and dance. The play is based on the story of a blind child growing up in a goblin forest along with his father. The child dreams of leaving his father’s arms for the new world but faces the tricks of goblins and must overcome obstacles to find his own way. The story focuses on the process of how the child evades his father’s obsession and control toward the outside world in a bizarre but humorous manner and fantasy-tinged scenes blurring dreams and reality and time and space. The drama uses Korean dialects to create traditional emotional responses and feelings through visual and auditory senses. Oh has starred in numerous successful films such as “OldBoy,” “Mapado,”

Jan 18, 2011

Science and art to spark childrens curiosities

By Ines Min Taking a look behind-the-scenes of masterpieces has been a popular activity of late, with the recent Da Vinci exhibition examining the mysteries surrounding the famous Mona Lisa. “Science in Art 2” opened last week to raise the level up a notch at the Main Exhibition Hall of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Seoul. Returning after a successful run last year, the interactive showcase for youths offers an educational look into the complexities of art, piquing an overlapping interest in both the scientific and the creative. While the inaugural run focused on a number of activities, the second edition takes a more active approach, breaking down the passivity of exhibitions and combining it with elements of a “Choose Your Own Adventure.” Upon admission, each visitor is handed a detective’s hat and notepad before being led in by a professional actor. Working their way through an array of classic works — from “Whistler’s Mother” to Matisse, Van Gogh to Da Vinci — the young sleuths scrutinize the hidden truths behind each one

Jan 18, 2011

Vietnamese treasures shine in Seouls heart

By Chung Ah-young Vietnam and Korea seem to have nothing particular in common due to their geographical distance. But upon closer inspection, we can find that the two countries share many things — Confucian culture, colonial occupation and Chinese influence in history. In modern times, the two have cooperated in economic exchanges since they established diplomatic relations in 1992. In an effort to offer insight into the history and culture of Korea through a pan-Asian perspective and highlight the shared culture of the two countries, the National Palace Museum of Korea is holing a special exhibition titled “Treasures of the Vietnamese Nguyen Dynasty” through Feb. 6. The exhibition features 165 relics and artifacts dating from the dynasty and photographs and videos of historical places in Hue, the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty in association with the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum in Vietnam. The Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last Vietnamese dynasty, relocated its capital city from Hanoi in the northern part of the country to Hue in the central region

Jan 17, 2011

Gallo brings Broadway know-how to Tears of Heaven

By Kwon Mee-yoo “We need more colorful fruits.” David Gallo was busy discussing props with local assistants when The Korea Times visited the Tony-winning scenic designer in central Seoul last week. He was adding the finishing touches for staging an outdoor market in Saigon, or now Ho Chi Minh City, for the upcoming musical “Tears of Heaven,” produced by Seol & Company. He said Korean staffers were surprising when it came to details. “On Broadway, people tend to be more interpretative and take the design as a suggestion,” he said. “Prop people in Korea are more specific and get us exactly what we ask for.” Director Gabriel Barre, who met Gallo while working on the off-Broadway musical “Wild Party” by Andrew Lippa in 2000, invited the top designer to Korea. “Tears of Heaven,” which aims to expand to a larger audience overseas, features other talent from Broadway — music by Frank Wildhorn of the famed “Jekyll and Hyde,” book by Phoebe Hwang and lyrics by Robin Lerner. The musical is about a young orphaned woman Tianna living in the United States, who was born to

Jan 16, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Weekender Africa in the heart of Korea

Museum offers essence of African culture By Lee Hyo-won Elongated limbs and noses, convexes turned into concaves — this is the stuff that inspired artists of the highest caliber such as Picasso and Matisse. African art has become more widely available to the Korean public in recent years, and museums housing pieces from the region can be found in Gangwon Province and on Jeju Island. But many fans would be surprised to know that Asia’s largest African art collection can be found not far from the metropolis — the African Art Museum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. We own more than 8,500 pieces of African art — it’s the largest collection in Asia,” the museum director Jang Won-seob told The Korea Times in a recent interview. The museum opened in 2008 after six years of preparation. Though the enormous collection has been a popular destination for school field trips, it has remained largely obscure because it was founded for commercial, rather than scholarly pursuits, explained Jang. "There wasn’t even a curator to organize the work,” he said. Under

Jan 13, 2011

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Clubs, Art Exhibitions & Sports Games Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that’s also 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. Check www.ohoo.net. Cafe Mou Sinsa-dong This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations that its owner got from travels to such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. It’s located at the edge of Dosan Park. 650-9 Park View Building, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, near the Cine City Theater in Apgujeongdong. Call (02) 3444

Jan 13, 2011

Concerts, museums & theater

Classical Concerts New Year Concert with Cellist Young Song Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center* (See venues on right for more information) Jan. 18 Popular cellist Young Song (Song Young-hoon) will hold a New Year concert with Universal Philharmonic Orchestra. The program includes Tchaikovsky’s “Slavonic March, Op. 31” and Dvorak’s “Concerto for Violincello and Orchestra in B minor Op. 104” among others. Tickets cost 10,000 to 70,000 won. Call (031) 897-7497 for more information. Rose Jang Recital Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center* Feb. 17 Popera diva Rose Jang will hold a concert featuring what she calls “nouveau classics,” a more expansive interpretation of popera that includes Korean traditional songs such as the “Peace Song.” She will perform other favorites including “My Heart Will Go On” from the film “Titanic,” “O Mio Babbino Caro” from the opera “Gianni Schicchi” and “Habanera” from “Carmen,” among others with the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets cost 40,000 to 200,000 won. Call (02) 580-1300 for more information. Joe Hisaishi Grand Theater, Sejong Center

Jan 13, 2011

Royal seals: essence of Joseon ritual arts

By Chung Ah-young The National Palace Museum of Korea has recently published a three-volume catalogue featuring a comprehensive collection of 3,361 “eobo,” or royal seals, and their accessories from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The museum currently holds 316 seals from 34 kings and 48 queens and concubines, crown princes and princesses among the extant 323 seals, along with affiliated ornaments. The earliest seal was made in 1441 and the latest one in 1928. “Eobo were symbolic stamps which were not actually used. They were created to celebrate royal rituals and appreciate a ruler’s achievements and granting a posthumous title to a king or queen. They retain the high values of royal craftsmanship as they are bundled with other relics,” Jung Gye-ok, an official of the museum, said. Eobo were ritual seals as symbolic objects, unlike “guksae” or state seals, which were officially stamped for diplomatic documents and promulgations of national orders. “The hand stamps are the cream of the crop which displays the essence of royal craftsmanship and the highest state of art

Jan 12, 2011
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