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Spectators watch a Bongsan Mask Dance performance in Insa-dong on Tuesday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald) |
A crowd of some 200 Koreans and foreigners gathered outside in Insa-dong on Tuesday afternoon to watch a traditional Korean performance.
The event, organized by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, featured a combination of the Bongsan Mask Dance Drama, a social satire performed by players in masks who dance and sing, and a traditional wedding ceremony.
During the performance, the players bantered with the spectators, sometimes exchanging jokes, all in the spirit of “madangpan,” which involves lively interaction among the performers and the spectators, sans a raised stage.
“Not only Koreans but also foreign visitors say they are enchanted by this unique piece of Korean culture,” Lee Sang-hwon, a KCHF official who was at the performance, said.
Although the foreign visitors in the audience may not have understood the language, the universal message of the performance was clearly conveyed.
“This show is very interesting and different from a Japanese traditional wedding. I can’t understand the language but I can see how the main theme of this performance, love, flows,” said Kimberly Johnson from the U.S., who currently lives in Japan.
The event was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism and Cultural Heritage Administration to commemorate the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
