Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Korean ballet dancers shine in Moscow

MOSCOW — One couldn’t ask for anything more Russian. Here, the performing arts continue to reign high over television as sources of entertainment, and a Moscow experience is never complete without a visit to the famed Bolshoi Theater. It was a weekday evening, and the 850-seat theater was packed as usual with an audience eager to see a classic ballet by the country’s beloved enfant terrible Sergei Prokofiev. Yet there was a twist — a Korean Romeo and Juliet pulled off a romantic pas de deux amid a corps de ballet comprised of blond, fair-skinned dancers. It was unprecedented for the esteemed ballet company to feature a main cast of Asians, but it was nothing short of a Bolshoi experience as the pitch-perfect act invited a full standing ovation. These were none other than soloists of the Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC) who were invited to perform in time for the 20th anniversary of Korea-Russia relations. Nine dancers took center stage Oct. 7 and 8 — two of three evenings that showcased the much-anticipated revival of Maestro Yuri Grigorovich’s version

Oct 11, 2010

National museum to feature Goryeo Buddhist paintings

By Chung Ah-young The National Museum of Korea will open a special exhibition “Masterpieces of Goryeo Buddhist Painting — A Long Lost Look after 700 Years” from Oct. 12 to Nov. 21. The exhibition has been organized in part to celebrate the 5th anniversary of its relocation to the present venue and the hosting of the G20 summit in Seoul next month. This exhibition, the largest of its kind, will provide a rare opportunity to see all the beauty and splendor of a total of 108 Goryeo Buddhist paintings from all over the world at one venue. There are allegedly some extant 160 Goryeo Buddhist paintings around the world. Among them, 61 paintings, — 27 from Japanese, 10 from the U.S., five from Europe, and 19 from Korean collections — will be shown in the exhibition. In particular, the exhibition includes Hyeheo’s “Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara,” currently housed at Japan’s Senso-ji temple. To compare artistic styles and values and help visitors appreciate the contemporary trends in East Asian Buddhist art, the exhibition will feature 20 Buddhist paintings from Ch

Oct 10, 2010

Up for discussion in Goyang: humanity, gender equality

By Ines Min Hermaphrodites. Homosexual taboos. Doppelgangers and bucking traditions. Art exhibition? “No More Daughters & Heroes” opened Wednesday at the Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The 12-artist showcase is a collaboration between the hosting center and an independent German curator, to bring together the likes of feminist rocker Peaches to the renowned Harun Farocki, many for their domestic debuts. Just as gender roles and politics are comprised of disparate perspectives that meet in discussion, the exhibition bridges the concepts of its two curators — Kim Eun-jung of the Aram center and Jung Me from Germany. The title of the showcase reveals the approaches they focus on: no more daughters, no more heroes. The former confronts the antiquated, if persistent, wish for sons, prominent within many Korean families (an attitude that Jung herself understands, being a second daughter) while the latter appropriates the perspective of global society: men are the heroes, the saviors. Kim creates a critical account of contemporary thought while Ju

Oct 10, 2010

German musical star to captivate Korean fans

By Chung Ah-young From “Les Miserables,” “The Phantom of the Opera” to “Elisabeth” in the German-speaking musical theater, Uwe Kroeger is undoubtedly a big name. The 46-year-old actor is making his first trip to Korea to appear in musical concerts “Levay with Friends,” which will take place from Oct. 7 to 10 at the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium in southern Seoul. The concert is designed to mark the successful Korean adaptation of “Mozart!” that ended earlier this year here and promote “Elisabeth” to be staged in 2012. Kroeger, a hero for the role of Tod (Death) in the world premiere of “Elisabeth” in 1992, looked excited to meet Korean fans here and

Oct 6, 2010

Daegu Photo Biennale:

Tiptoeing fragile lines between man, landscape By Ines Min Korea’s biennales are offering a cornucopia of contemporary art and the imminent kick-off of the 15th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival will satiate appetites for moving pictures. But for those who still find the charm of the still image most captivating, one of the country’s youngest biennales is exactly the long-sought cure. Daegu Photo Biennale 2010 opened last week to bring it’s some 1,500 photographs from 22 countries to the Korean public through Oct. 24. The third edition of Asia’s largest photography event ― this year titled ``tru(E)motion’’ ― can be seen throughout the city’s galleries, the Daegu Culture and Arts Center and the Bongsan Cultural Center. Focused on showing current trends in contemporary photography, well-known Asian and European artists serve as the conduit to defining the identity of the artistic form today. The biennale’s main exhibition of ``true(E)motion’’ approaches those strains of concept well-familiar with the 21st-century audience: emotion, motion, ecology and environ

Oct 5, 2010

Lee Yong-baek to represent Korea in Venice Biennale

By Ines Min As the last of the domestic art biennales unveil their grand exhibitions and innovative themes, eyes are beginning to pull toward the periphery as preparations for the 54th Venice Biennale make way for the world’s largest art event. Media artist Lee Yong-baek, 44, has been selected as the official representative for the Korean Pavilion of the 2011 showcase, organizer Arts Council Korea announced Friday. The artist, who previously participated in the Gwangju and Busan Biennales, will be showing a collection of artwork from the past several years at the renowned international exhibition, which has successfully thrust local artists into the spotlight previously. His latest pieces show a continued diverging into mediums, combining painting, sculpture and mixed elements to create an immersive emotional experience. Lee is best known for his single-video channel installation works and experimentation in various technological fields ― ranging from kinetic robotics to audio pieces. ``Angel Soldier’’ is one of his representative pieces that, at first sight, seems to b

Oct 3, 2010

Rent hero to bring his own story

By Chung Ah-young Broadway musical star Anthony Rapp, best known for his role in the musical “Rent,” will perform a new mono musical “Without You” based on his best-selling memoir. The show details his turbulent life while experiencing two life-changing events — the sudden death of Jonathan Larson, writer and composer of “Rent,” and the illness and death of his mother. Rapp will include original songs by R.E.M. and Larson in the one-man show about grief, hope, frustration and triumph. He began acting and singing at the age of 9. He is best known for landing the role of Mark Cohen in Larson’s Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Rent,” for which he shared an OBIE Award with the rest of the cast. “Without You” depicts the audition process beginning from when Rapp was working at Starbucks in New York in 1994 to rehearsals, and his emotions during the tribute performance after Larson suddenly died from a heart attack just one day before the premiere of “Rent.” In his one-man musical, Rapp will play himself. The show features Rapp’s own lyrics and melodi

Oct 3, 2010

Designing from & for the human experience

By Ines Min The world is in a state of flux, ascending into a future of automation and sleek lines. As pristine tomorrow is sure to look with an ever-increasing focus on aesthetics, it is to the human experience that design still speaks. As the 2010 Seoul Design Fair (SDF) hits its stride, Korean and international creative counterparts are gathering to share their ideas of promising design. The Korea Times sat down with Christophe Rebours, founder and president of the innovative company InProcess, last week to get a glimpse into that stretch of future so full of promise. “The situation today, I think around the world, we are in the middle of a complete change of model: socially, economically and

Oct 1, 2010

Culture budget for 2011 hits record high

By Lee Hyo-won The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday its plans to use some 3.37 trillion won next year for community outreach programs and to develop cultural content. The amount represents a 6.2 percent increase from last year, marking a record portion — 1.09 percent — of the state’s overall budget plan of 309.6 trillion won. “The increase in budget, despite difficult (financial) circumstances, reflects the government’s recognition of how important the culture, sports and tourism sectors are,” said a staff member of the ministry. “We will concentrate on reaching out to the masses, particularly in underrepresented regions.” The ministry said it will make arts and culture activities more accessible to the public by expanding infrastructure and investing in research and development of creative media. It also said it aims to revamp tourism and bring athletics closer to daily life. About 955 billion won will be invested in culture and arts, while 481 billion won will go to developing content, 921 billion won will be allotted for tourism

Sep 30, 2010

Seoul transforms into center stage for dance

By Lee Hyo-won The temperature may have suddenly dropped but the heat is expected to turn up a notch as Seoul becomes center stage for the pulsating movements of the human body. Fall in love with dance this autumn through a couple of month-long dance festivals that celebrate beauty and life through visceral poeticism. Around the world in Seoul The 13th edition of the Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) kicks off Thursday through Oct. 30 in various parts of the city. Presented by the Seoul section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO, this year’s event invites 58 dance troupes from 20 countries to present 63 exciting projects. Major theaters around the city will host most of the colorful programs but a lineup of street performances invites everyone to explore the beauty of dance. From Oct. 6 to 20, dancers from France, Italy, Spain and Macedonia will perform outdoors on Cheoljae Street, Mullae-dong 3-ga; in front of Horim Art Center near Dosan Park, Sinsa-dong; and at Hangang Park, Yeouido. “Everyone is an artist. The 13th SIDance 2010 prou

Sep 29, 2010

Arts & Theater