Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Musical to Show Retro Culture of 70-80s

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter There was a time when a roller-skating rink was one of the few places to hang around with friends among teenagers in 1980s. The skaters enjoyed dancing to the strong dance beat song, ``Harlem Desire'' by London Boys, radiating their youth as they took a break from school routine. Not only this piece but also other memorable hit songs from the 1970s-80s will resonate on stage to invoke the audience with nostalgia, along with retro dances and fashion in this new musical, ``Really Really Like You.'' The musical based on a 70's hit film of the same name will go on stage on June 13, starring actress Park Hae-mi, actors Park Sang-myeon, Lee Pil-mo and comedian Choi Byong-seo. The musical will show love, hope and frustration among high school students and teachers who experience frustration and finally seek hope through a high school baseball team. ``This musical will present the pure Korean emotional touches,'' actor Park Sang-myeon told reporters in a press conference after the showcase in Seoul, Monday. The showcase highlighted abo

Jun 10, 2008

Unsung Heroes of National Treasures

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter There was nothing anybody could. So they watched, helplessly, Sungnyemun, better known as Namdaemun, the National Treasure No. 1, burn down in February. Only after the fire had engulfed the symbol of the nation's capital, did Koreans seem to awaken to the importance of preserving their cultural heritage. The disastrous fire to the gate was not the nation's first loss. In 2005, Naksan Temple in Gangwon Province burnt down, revealing how also vulnerable cultural heritages were to disaster because of poor security management. The loss of the treasures was heartbreaking news not only for ordinary Koreans but also those who tried to protect the nation's treasures from destruction during wartime. The Cultural Heritage Administration has published a book, ``Saving Korea's Treasures in Times of War.'' The book compiles 13 stories of heroes who saved national treasures during wartime in Korean history to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the nation. The book covers the story of some Joseon scholars who climbed mountains ca

Jun 9, 2008

Celebrate Seasonal Dano Festival

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts (NCKTPA) will hold a seasonal performance on June 8 to celebrate Dano Day, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar and share its traditions with ancient sacrificial rites. Traditionally, Korean ancestors used to celebrate Dano as a day of rest and offering prayers for a good harvest after the rice planting. Dano is one of the major traditional holidays in Korea designated by UNESCO as one of the ``Masterpieces of Intangible Heritage.'' In Korean tradition, women wash their hair in water boiled with changpo (iris) to make one's hair shiny, while men wear iris roots around their waist to drive off evil spirits. Korean's also wear blue and red clothes and dye hairpins red with iris roots. People enjoy traditional foods such as different types of rice cakes ― ``surichitteok,'' ``ssuktteok,'' and other herb rice cakes. On that day, traditional folk games such as the swing, a game played by women, and the ssireum, a wrestling match among men, are

Jun 6, 2008

Kumho Asiana Soloists Go Out and About

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Kumho Asiana Soloists, a chamber group made up of Korea's up and coming young musicians, completed an international tour last month and are now back in town for their national tour. Founded by Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation last year, the Soloists gave their first concerts in October and December attended by members of the diplomatic circle and enthusiastic classical music fans and students. American ambassador Alexander Vershbow was pleased that several members of the group studied at New York's prestigious Juilliard School, where almost a third of the student body are Korean. The group comprises of about a dozen members under the age of 30 who symbolize the recent influx of younger crowds in concert halls and heightened public interest in classical music. The members perform in varying combinations for different pieces, including standard classical repertoires and world premieres of works by the Soloists' composer-in-residence Choi Myung-whun. Soloists include star pianists Kim Sun-wook and Son Yeol-eum, as well as rising violinist Ki

Jun 6, 2008

Clubs, Art Exhibitions & Sports Games

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 the ones 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 of 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 a

Jun 5, 2008

Concerts, Museums & Performances

Classical Concerts Nathaniel Rosen's Cello Concert Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center June 28 The first American to win top prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978, cellist Nathaniel Rosen will visit Seoul and offer the music of David Poppe, Claude Debussy and more. Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 40,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call 1566-3994. Located near exit Aramnuri of Jeongbalsan Station on subway line 3. Michel Bouvard's Pipe Organ Recital Sejong Center for the Performing Arts June 26 Join French pipe organist Michel Bouvard at his recital and explore the fascinating melodies of the grand instrument. Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. Visit www.ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555. Located near exits 8 and 1 of Gwanghwamun Station on subway line 5. The National Chorus of Korea Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center June 27-28 The National Chorus of Korea presents a wide range of music, from pop hits including ``My Way,'' opera favorites like ``This is the Moment'' to classical numbers by Mozart. Tickets cost from 10,000 won to

Jun 5, 2008

Korean Cats Casting Unveiled

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter The Korean ``Cats'' has been finally unveiled. Seol & Company, one of the major musical production companies in Korea, announced 34 Korean cast members for the first licensed Korean rendition of the musical at Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul Tuesday. The original London team selected the Korean cast members through auditions carried out over the last five months. Singer-turned-actress Ock Ju-hyun and veteran actress Shin Young-sook will alternate acting the role of Grizabella, the ``Glamour Cat'' in the musical, who is a prominent character on stage. Grizabella is shunned by the rest of the tribe when she leaves it to explore the outside world, but now wants to return. She enchants the audience with a memorable song, ``Memory.'' Ock, a former member of now disbanded all-girl group Fin.K.L, received good scores for her performance in impromptu tests requested by judges. ``It will be a great opportunity for me to experience becoming an animal. I can learn many things from this challenging role. I am very excited to show anothe

Jun 4, 2008

Blue Man Founder On Being Bald, Blue

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter When Matt Goldman first went bald and blue as a Blue Man with his friends Chris Wink and Phil Stanton, he knew there was something special about it. But today's phenomenal success of the Blue Man Group is still a surprise. ``If you make yourself bald and blue, and you think 'oh my God, I'm going to make a living out of this,' I think the first thing they should do is put you in a mental hospital and throw away the key because that would be crazy talk. It would have been impossible to predict any of this. On the other hand, when we got bald and blue for the first time and we knew it was something very special and that until we got it in many places around the world, it would not be complete,'' Goldman told reporters Tuesday, at a hotel in downtown Seoul. Goldman, now one of the top executives of the Blue Man Group, is in town to oversee the preparations for the ``MegaStar World Tour,'' which opens June 10. The Blue Man Group started in the late 1980's, when Goldman, Wink and Stanton would meet every Sunday morning with the id

Jun 4, 2008

Finnish Fairy Tale Inspires Artist

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Artist Jun So-jung recreates a Finnish fairy tale in her solo exhibition ``The Finale of a Story.'' This exhibition is currently at the Gallery Kong through June 22. It was during a trip to Finland last year when Jun first heard through her friend the Finnish fairy tale about a dancer who lived in a forest. This casual meeting inspired the series of work, ``The Finale of a Story.'' ``'The Finale of a Story' is created from the memory of my Finnish friend who took me to a forest, my memory in the forest and the memory of the dancer in the forest. Those memories came across my mind separately as broken pieces, and then intertwined to construct an act, like a surrealistic game,'' she said. Her friend accompanied her to visit the ruins of a small town in a forest, which was supposed to have been built by the male dancer in the fairy tale. Jun said the memory of the forest and the fairy tale lingered in her head. At the gallery, Jun recreates her memory of the Finnish fairytale through a video installation and art works. She care

Jun 2, 2008

Jang Young-ju Exhibit at Insa Art Center

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Artist Jang Young-ju is holding a solo exhibition ``Expressing Korean Mental Energy in Paintings'' at the Insa Art Center, northern Seoul, through June 3. Her abstract expressionist works are characterized by strong splashes of color and energetic brushwork. It is not difficult to see why art critic Antonia Pereira described Jang's works as having the ``energy of an abstract expressionist and spiritual sensibilities of a master calligrapher.'' Pereira further notes that Jang uses the paint with a robust spontaneity that makes it appear as if it has been ``poured, smeared, sprayed and washed across the canvas.'' Angela Di Bello, editor in chief of Arties Spestrum magazine, praised Jang's paintings ``A World of Calligraphy I, Compassion, Dynamic, Noble and The Universe.'' She said the paintings ``exhibit strength in the fusion of color and calligraphy.'' Jang has already participated in several group exhibitions at the New York Art Fair and Korean Culture Centers in Japan, France and Taiwan. She is a painter of the New York Agor

May 30, 2008

Arts & Theater