the ole Korean song and dance

Last Thursday and Friday at Yong Dang (my second school) a troup of traditional Korean performers came to the school to teach the students about their culture and I got to check it out. This is at a church near our apartment. These women are wearing the traditional Korean garb called Hanbok. The performers in the videos below are also wearing Hanbok, but you can't see them as well because they're seated. This first video showcases various traditional instruments. They are playing an excerpt from a Korean opera that Kyung Mi told me lasts for 8 hours! There's a lunch built into the opera. I don't know if I'd love it for 8 hours, but the instruments are beautfiul.
In this video the woman is wearing the clothing of a queen. The dance she is performing is a palacial dance usually danced before royalty. The flowers are peonies.

The man in this video is not wearing a Hanbok, though there is a male version. This headress and drum dance were often performed in a millitary context, but also to drive evil spirits out of the rice fields in order to insure a good harvest. I like that twirlygig. I couldn't figure out how to rotate it, but the advantage is you can lay down to watch it!

And that's a bit of Korean tradition. We'll show you more as we discover it.