Art and Culture

It's Monday and it's a fresh start to a new week.

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And of course, here for our regular arts and culture segment is our Michelle Kim.
Today, Michelle will be giving us updates on two musical performances and a traditional Korean music performance that was held last week.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what do you have for us today[Reporter : ] To start the week off, I have two musicals that will catch your attention. The Korean version of "Les Miserables" and a dance musical called "Burn the Floor" will be showing until the 25th of this month. I have the details for you right now.

The world-renowned musical "Les Miserables" will be presented with a Korean cast for the first time this month in a production in Seoul.
Based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, the musical tells the story of Jean Valjean and his quest for redemption.
After spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister, Valjean is released on parole by the policeman Javert and meets the Bishop of Digne, who is kind enough to offer him food and shelter.
Instead of repaying the Bishop's kindness, Valjean steals some silver from him and again gets caught by the police.
When questioned, the bishop lies to the police so Valjean can begin a new life.
Humbled by the bishop's mercy, Valjean follows the bishop's advice and breaks his parole to seek a new, better life.
But Javert is unwilling to rest until Valjean is brought to justice.
The musical will be showing in Korean with a Korean cast at the Poeun Art Hall until Novemer 25th.

18 dancers tear up the stage in "Burn the Floor", the ballroom dance sensation from Broadway that is playing in two engagements in Seoul and Incheon this month.
The musical is reminiscent of popular television shows such as "Dancing with the Stars" and features ballroom styles from tango and rumba to salsa and the waltz.
It's a non-verbal production, and the show's producer wouldn't have it any other way.

[Interview : Peta Roby, Producer] "Dance is an international language. I think the cast is very young, energetic and very passionate about their art form and just about performing. I think it needs no words, it really just speaks for itself".

"Burn The Floor" will be showing at the Seongnam Arts Center until November 25th and from November 30th to December 1st at the Incheon Culture and Arts Center.
This will be a great chance for Korean-speaking viewers in Seoul to see "Les Miserables".

[Reporter : ] Definitely. It's taken a while for a Korean language version to arrive and I think Korean fans of the musical will want to take this opportunity to see it.

It will, so I will be sure to reserve my tickets soon. And now, moving on, what else do you have for us[Reporter : ] Well, I went to go see a performance of traditional Korean music last Friday at the National Gugak Center featuring the 12-stringed zither known as the gayageum. Take a look.

Professor Moon Jae-sook hosted a night of gayageum music at the National Gugak Center last Friday.
Joining her on stage were 30 of her students and her two daughters, one of whom is former Miss Korea Honey Lee.
The concert, entitled "Accompanied by Dreams", featured a mix of traditional and contemporary gayageum music with performances of singing and dancing.
The concert invited the audience to see the gayageum as not just an instrument from the past, but one that can be appreciated and valued in the present.
The professor said the performance helped her achieve a long-held goal.

[Interview : Moon Jae-sook, Professor] "It's always made me sad that traditional Korean music isn't known around the world. By offering songs, I wanted to communicate with listeners, introduce Koreans and to the world to traditional Korean music and find ways to help reduce the gap between the listeners and the music".

Professor Moon wrote and composed one of the songs, "My Precious Daughter", which she originally wrote in celebration of her eldest daughter's marriage.You've been to many performances of traditional music and I'm sure each was very different from the next. How did this one compare with other performances you've seen[Reporter : ] Well, first of all, there were more performers on stage than I've ever seen. It was really interesting to see 30 people play the gayageum in unison and I thought that stood out. Another thing I liked was that both traditional and contemporary music styles were played on the gayageum.

It sounds like you saw a very good performance. I hope I get to see Professor Moon perform someday. And now, you have the events bulletin for us, right[Reporter : ] Yes I do. Singer Kim Jang-hoon will be performing a series of concerts before he goes to China, Nell will perform on Christmas Eve and Lee Seung-hwan will perform on the last two days of December. Here are the details.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features 3 events.

Singer Kim Jang-hoon will be holding a series of concerts to bid farewell to his fans before moving to China for about 3 years to promote his music there. At the concert in Seoul, which will take place at Jamsil Indoor Stadium from December 20th to 25th, he will perform his new single "None" and a collection of his hits.

In its first performance since Christmas 2007, Nell will be performing their dreamy melodies at the Seoul Student Stadium on Christmas Eve. The band will be holding two concerts, one at 7:30 p.m. and the other at midnight on December 24th.

Lee Seung-hwan has been keeping fans happy with a series of concerts throughout this year. He will present his last concerts of the year on the last two days of December. A singer known for his powerful live performances, Lee will play wide range of music, from rock to ballads.

Thank you for the update.

[Reporter : ] My pleasure.

NOV 12, 2012

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr