Korea House - Part 2

The price we paid for the food and show, I would not have felt bad of paying only for the show part. The performances were really good. There were many different types of performances and the music was all live music, with traditional instruments. I thought it almost a shame that the focus was mainly on the dancers, when the musicians playing on each sides of the scene played so well that it blended perfectly with the performance.

The first performance was with  the 5 Korean drums, with the always smiling pretty women dressed of gold and red. Their movements were swift and all at the same time, it was simply mesmerizing. 

It is very ironic that I would have some background knowledge of Korean drums, thanks to the Joseon drama "Hwang jinyi", but I think it did help me enjoy even more what was before my eyes. I took the time to just suck everything in, not taking any picture or looking away. Those pictures were taken with my dad's camera, and I am happy I left it to him to take pictures, because the result is amazing. 

You know what I hate more than side camera with flashes, that we sometimes had a few years ago, during a presentation?

Fucking phones at a show. 

People think that it's a given that everyone can take pictures without flashes, because without flashes, the artists won't be disturbed. Well that was before people stupidly decided to bring their cellphones to take pictures instead of bringing decent cameras. Stop two seconds to think.

Take two more.

Think of the light of the omg-I-am-getting-bigger-and-bigger-screens-for-my-smartphone, all that, lit up in a completely dark room. Now think that you are sitting between two people both filming the performance with their cellphones. I don't know for you, but this irks me so much I build up anger like mad. Can't people just enjoy the fleeting beauty of the moment? Can't they look at a show with their eyes and enjoy their money's worth, while it's still going on, instead of thinking "well, I'll watch it on my computer later". That's simply retarded.

Amen.

There were such people in the front row. And I kindly let them know that it was not fun to have their phone lights in my face, thank you. Then, the show was more enjoyable.

That first song was great. Loved the choreography, loved the music, loved the costumes...

However.... they started doing that...

Going up and down, up and down, up and down... and I couldn't help myself being reminded of a Korean hit of the summer....

You can understand that I had trouble keeping my face straight for a bit....

My friend Ted, had told me how he loved this song because, as opposed to so many KPop songs in general, that are a weirdly evolved version of borrowed American cheesy Pop, that one song was a style on its own. It was not borrowed from the weirdly cute Japanese Pop either, it was simply some weird music, that just "popped" up, here, in Korea, with nothing else to it. 

Then it got me thinking. 

Maybe that's why he said it was "pure korean"? (I'm just writing nonsense, please do not take my word for that....) you know, if traditional Korean drums have the same choreography... 

... okay okay. I'll shut it.

If I remember well, the second song was the only one what somehow gave the focus on the musicians. At least at the beginning of the song, cuz the dancers came a bit late. 

That one was much much slower song, with Gisaeng dancing slowly, following the slow-paced rhythms of the flute and gayageum.

I've always loved those over-sized braided wigs Gisaengs wear. The extra volume makes their faces looks small and fragile. I can't imagine dancing gracefully with all this weight on my head, however. That must be causing the worst of headaches.

Following, was a performance with percussions with 4 or 5 men all playing different rhythms, all of them seemingly entranced with the song. 

Following, was a dance that felt like a swan dance to me. I did not like that the costumes looked a bit too modern. They basically looked like koreanized western bride dresses with fans. The dance, however, also on a slow pace, was beautiful.

The following performance has been selected as holder of the Korean traditional heritage by... I can't remember the name of the world organization... I hate to wait too long before I blog. So much is left forgotten. Well you'll have to bear with me. It's the love story between nobles (if you look at the clothing, anyways, that's what I'd deduct; tho I kind of want to say that the girl would seem to be a queen, taken her hair accessories and the color of her dress... but as the man was wearing a nobleman's clothes, and not the king's... it'd be a weird adultery story if it were, so I dare not say). 

What was the most remarkable in the performance was the song itself, sung by a cute looking lady with a crazy low-pitched voice, singing in the traditional Korean lamenting tones. She was really something to hear sing. 

More than a complex choreography, what was beautiful about that one dance, was the feeling of love and happiness they were giving off. They were just walking smoothly around, in a weird happy chemistry. 

Following was an impressive fan-dance, with an explosion of color and shapes.

The last performance was a bunch of men dancing in the swiftest and coolest ways. The theme of the dance was "men, after failing the entrance exam to join the royal guards". Funny that there'd be an official dance for that, but I guess it was common occurrence: not everybody can get it.