Lifestyle - The Korea Times

New Take on Peer Gynt

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Theater fans will be able to see a unique modern take on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's classic ``Peer Gynt,'' presented by director Yang Jung-ung of Yohangza Company. The Korean adaptation of the epic masterpiece is known to be difficult to stage due to its rapid and frequent scene changes and extensive dialogue. The original play consists of five acts and runs for some six to seven hours. However, Yang will condense a new production of the spectacle ― in his magical scenic style ― into a two-and-a-half hour work. The title character is a dreamer and a liar with a penchant for womanizing who, after being expelled from his hometown, sets off on an incredible journey that takes him all the way from Norway to Africa and eventually back home. In the upcoming work, Yang will put more emphasis on each character, rather than the Norwegian background in the original version. The play will focus on more universal themes rather than Norwegian myths. ``Ibsen was Norwegian and wrote the work in the 1860s, but I think there's something bey

Apr 26, 2009

Clubs, Traditional Events & Art Exhibitions

Clubs The Circle Cheongdam-dong Located in the upscale Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, it’s notorious for turning you down unless you’re dressed chic and sleek. Faithful to its name, it has a round revolving floor ― looking for your ``lost’’ table gives clubbers the perfect excuse to sit down with a sexy stranger. Located on Dosan-daero near Hak-dong intersection. Call (02) 546-5933 or visit www.thecircle.co.kr. Club Answer Cheongdam-dong This might be the answer to your nightlife. It offers an intimate partying environment with groovy electronic music by star DJs. You can reserve tables and those on the second floor provide an open view of the dance floor. Or mingling with the hot bartenders at the open bar might be a fine alternative. Located in Cheongdam-dong across the street from Prima Hotel, near the entrance toi Yeongdong-daegyo. Call (02) 548-7115 or visit www.clubanswer.co.kr. Club Evans Hongdae or Hongik University Area This club, located near Hongik University, is great for intimate live performances. The line-up of performers is generally top-notch and

Apr 23, 2009

Concerts, Museums & Theater

Classical Concerts Igudesman & Joo Duo's `Little Nightmare’ Concert Guro Arts Valley May 12 Violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Richard Joo Hyung-ki, who created a stir online, will visit Korea to entertain fans with their humorous music. Tickets cost from 15,000 won to 30,000 won. For more information, visit www.guroartsvalley.or.kr or call (02) 2029-1700~1. Located near exit 4 of Daerim Station on subway line 2. Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra’s Beethoven Concert Gyeonggi Arts Center May 23 Conductor Kim Dae-jin will lead the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra for works of Beethoven such as ``Piano Concerto No.1 in C major, Op.15,’’ ``Piano Concerto No.2 in B Major, Op.19’’ and ``Piano Concerto No.5 in E Major, Op.73, `Emperor.’’’ Pianist Kim Sun-wook will appear as soloist. Tickets cost from 5,000 won to 30,000 won. For more information, visit www.artsuwon.or.kr or call (031) 228-2813~5. Located near Suwon Station on subway line 1. Palace Family Concert Deoksu Palace May 5 Palace Family Concert will be held to celebrate the beginning of Seoul Spring Chamber Musi

Apr 23, 2009

Tradition, Youth, Modernity to Dazzle Dance Fans

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Three different types of dance events in Seoul will beckon fans this spring. MCT Dance will bring traditional dance through its ``Spring Day-Delving into Our Dance,'' while the Modern Dance Promotion of Korea is presenting the 2009 Seoul International Youth Dance Festival. Representing modernity, the 28th International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE) will also meet fans next month. ``Spring Day-Delving into Our Dance'' is part of the troupe's spring repertoire ``Traditional Dance Star Invitation,'' and it has offered fans traditional dance elements for the past six years. This year, a total of eight female traditional dancers will present some of the most famous dances here, including the Taepyeongmu dance, sword dance and drum dance. The two-day event will take place at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, near Namsan, in Seoul, April 28-29. Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 30,000 won. Families of three can get a special discount. For more information, visit www.mctdance.co.kr or call (02) 2263-4680. For those who want to enjoy dance with a more youthful en

Apr 22, 2009

Delphic Games to Be Held in Jeju

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Some 1,500 participants from 40 countries will take part in the third Delphic Games to show off their cultural and artistic diversity in Jeju City Sept. 9-15. The Delphic Games was a competition of culture and arts among ancient city nations of Greece that ran for about 1,000 years from the 6th century B.C. to A.D. 394. The Games were reborn after 1,600 years as an international festivity of arts and culture thanks to Dr. J. Christian B. Kirsch, of Germany, who desperately felt the need for a global celebration of culture and thus initiated the modern Delphic Games. The 3rd Delphic Games 2009, in Jeju, will see art competition in six art categories and 18 disciplines ― Music and Acoustics arts, Performing arts, Craft, Design & Visual arts, Lingual arts, Communication and Social arts, Architecture and Ecological arts ― under the motto ``Tuning into Nature.'' There will be various festival programs, including a shamanism festival. Venues in the beautiful island of Jeju will include Halla-dom, Shinsan Park and Jeju Culture & Art Cente

Apr 21, 2009

Open Your Eyes to Indian Art

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter India has always been a source of fascination, from Alexander the Great to Rudyard Kipling to the Beatles. In the last decade, India's booming economy has fueled renewed interest in its pop culture, especially Bollywood and recently, the Oscar-winning film ``Slumdog Millionaire'' and the infectious song ``Jai Ho.'' Indian contemporary art is also in the spotlight, attracting the attention of major art institutions, collectors and even speculators. ``Open Your Third Eye'' is perhaps one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary Indian art ever in Korea. The exhibition opened Thursday at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Originally titled ``Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art,'' the exhibition first opened at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo last November. ``The word `chalo' means `let's go!' It's an unusual title for a contemporary art show. It invites (visitors) on a journey to discover the art scene in India and to discover contemporary life and society of India today. At the same time, `cha

Apr 20, 2009

Discovering Beauty With Disposable Cameras

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter While both professional and amateur photographers produce memorable photos with expensive and high-quality cameras, writer and photographer Janet Sternburg found true beauty with nothing but her disposable cameras. `` When I developed (a) picture, it was no big deal, it was just a picture. But little by little I realized that I was seeing the world differently and that was when I realized that the disposable camera was not the last choice, (but) it was actually my friend,'' she told The Korea Times during an interview at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Ansan, south of Seoul, last Friday. ``In the digital world, people just click, click, click. For me, when I use the camera, I wait and I almost always get what I want,'' she added. Sternburg visited Korea with her husband, Steven Lavine, the president of California Institute of Arts, to celebrate the inauguration of the institute's new Art & Technology Center with her innovative multi-layered exhibition ``Fertile Confusion.'' Her works are a bit different from other photographs, whic

Apr 19, 2009

Rain to Join Charity Concert in Beijing

South Korea’s top pop idol and actor Rain will perform at a charity concert to be organized by Hollywood star Jackie Chan in Beijing May 1. The ``Good Friend Concert’’ will be staged at the Beijing National Stadium with nearly 100,000 seats. All the proceeds from the performance will be donated to charities. Rain, 27, and Jackie Chan, 55, met last year, when they performed during the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony at the stadium. J.Tune Entertainment, Rain’s agency, said, ``Jackie Chan invited Rain ― who has a lot of interest in charities ― to appear in the concert. We are pleased to be in an event organized by Jackie Chan who is famous for his good conduct.’’ Meanwhile, Rain will hold a fashion show for his brand of ``Six to Five’’ in Hong Kong in early June.

Apr 18, 2009

Sudanese Painter Holds Exhibition in Korea

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Many people only think of Sudan when its political problems hit the headlines. Koreans will have a chance to know more of Sudan's art and culture through the exhibition of accomplished Sudanese painter Rashid Diab. Diab's exhibition ``Time Lapse via Color, Shape and Form'' opens Monday at the Nuri Gallery, in the Korea Foundation Cultural Center, downtown Seoul. The Sudanese embassy said this is the first time a painter from Sudan is staging a solo exhibition in Seoul. On display at the exhibition are 21 of Diab's works that offer a glimpse of Sudanese culture. His work is said to be a reflection of ``a synthesis of his Sudanese heritage and an awareness of contemporary artistic developments in Europe.'' Made with rich colors, the art works are filled with traditional folk themes, Arabic calligraphy, animals, human figures and African motifs. ``The color and form may illustrate moments of sorrow, happiness, hope and despair, but the most important element is that of nostalgia for this universal world which is truly a reflecti

Apr 17, 2009

Korean Culture Festival to Open in Central Asia

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Hallyu or the Korean wave is leading the way to a modern-day Silk Road. The Korean Culture & Information Service of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Silk Road Foundation will open a Korean Culture Festival in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan from today to May 1. Central Asia not only possesses rich resources and bright prospects for development, but is historically relevant to South Korea as the home to some 3.2 million ethnic Koreans ever since may were forced to move there from Siberia in 1937, said the Culture Ministry in a statement. Korean cars, cell phones and electronic appliances can easily be found in central Asian homes, as well as fans of hallyu TV dramas like ``Jewel in the Palace'' and ``Winter Sonata.'' The Korean Culture Festival is aimed to boost cultural exchange and friendly bilateral relations with the aforementioned countries. In particular, Almaty, Kazakhstan has named the last week of April ``Korea Week'' in time for the festival and will hold various events for the local Korean community.

Apr 16, 2009

Arts & Theater