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| Song Seung-whan, CEO of PMC Production and creator of "Nanta," speaks about the growth and vision of the performing arts market in Korea during his keynote speech, Thursday. / Courtesy of FACP |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Asia needs more originality to promote its culture, says Masami Shigeta, chairman of the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP).
Cultural experts from 13 Asian countries attended the 33rd annual conference of the FACP at Chungmu Art Hall in central Seoul this week, discussing the promotion of the performing arts industry in Asia.
Song Seung-whan, CEO of PMC Production and creator of "Nanta," spoke about the growth and vision of the performing arts market in Korea during his keynote speech, Thursday.
Shigeta said Song's cooking-themed percussive comedy, also known as "Cookin' Nanta," is a great example for the future of the performing arts in Asia.
"When we think of musicals, we always come up with Broadway-style shows," Shigeta said. "However, Song created a different kind of Korean musical, not just copying the Broadway style. There are two major problems in creating new theatrical productions in Asia ― one is financing and the bigger problem is language. Song went with body language instead of traditional dialogue, and that idea is important for the future. He created this original production because it was the only solution."
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| A scene from cooking-themed non-verbal show "Nanta" / Courtesy of PMC Production |
Shigeta also thought highly of how the nonverbal comedy became a popular tourist attraction in Korea. "When foreigners visit Korea, they shop in Dongdaemun, eat bulgogi and go see ‘Nanta.' It has a strong impact on tourism and helps the Korean economy. Culture can add more experiences for visitors to Korea, improving the image of Korea."
The chairman emphasized the significance of cultural cooperation among Asian countries. "Sometimes, our governments argue with each other, but we don't need that," Shigeta said. "Art is a very strong tool to bring people together and performing arts have a tremendous impact on people. Here in FACP, we work together for culture. Asia is one and we can work together to create a better future. That is my goal and what I work for."
Shigeta also serves as CEO of Aspen Incorporated, which is dedicated to cultural education programs. "There are some 25 Korean students in my academy, along with students from six other countries," he said. "They work very hard and I wanted to help them grow up, advancing to the next phase."
The FACP chairman believes that the federation's key role is to support the networking of people in the cultural industry throughout Asia.
"There is no border in culture and performing arts," he said. "People appreciate music and art can be a good citizen with a healthy mind. "Culture ties people together and that's why this conference is so interesting. Asia is ever-growing and if we can work together as one and exchange cultural activities, we will have a better neighborhood."
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