Show in Cedar, US, sells out – Local press calls it unprecedented! 

◇ Gyeonggi Province’s original Taekwondo dance Dalha performances have earned praise all around the world. ⓒG-News Plus

 

Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Arts Center (director Cho Jae-hyun), and the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company (creative director Cho Heung-dong) are keeping up with a hectic schedule that runs across continents, visiting Japan in May, China in August, Japan and China again in September, the US in October, and Australia and the Middle East in November. 
 

 

 

Gyeonggi Province’s original Taekwondo dance Dalha, performed before 5,200 people at nine shows in LA, and other traditional dance troupes have recently won some new fans and enjoyed a busy year. 

 

Dalha emphasizes linear movement, the most notable feature of Korean traditional dance, which is perfected through years of practice and experience. The program has grabbed the attention of Korean-Americans and Americans alike. Now, more people can see what traditional Korean dance is all about.

 

The Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company, led by creative director Cho Heung-dong, is doing its best to promote Korean traditional dance around the world and to win new fans. Indeed, they have assumed the function of people-to-people diplomats despite their busy schedule. 

 

Director Cho says, “What I had in mind when I created Dalha was how to integrate traditional martial arts with dance. It was no easy task, but there are parts of the performance that are near perfect. I wanted more people to see what I see in Korean dance, not just Gyeonggi Province’s inhabitants, but the rest of the world. After years of performing domestically, I knew I had made something that would be accepted by a wider audience.”
 

◇ The Korean dance Dalha is based on Taekwondo movements. The powerful performance has captured audiences all around the world. ⓒ G-News Plus

 

 

 

A US tour has been scheduled for October. The dance group has been invited back after the successful run of its performance of the Taekwondo dance Dalha in 2011 under the slogan “Gyeonggi Province: Global Inspiration.”

 

The Korean Culture Center in Los Angeles and the LA Korean Festival Foundation have invited the dance group to perform at the Heritage Theater (1,000 seats) in Utah on October 3, at the University of Nevada (1,800 seats) in Las Vegas on October 6, and at LA Seoul International Park for three performances starting on October 7. This will be the group’s great opportunity to promote Gyeonggi Province and elevate Korea’s international status through the beauty of Korean dance. 

 

The performance in Cedar, Utah, began on October 3 (UTC-7/-6). Cedar, a town of 30,000 people, boasts sufficient cultural capacity to host a Shakespearean festival for the past fifty-one years. The Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company gave their first US performance of this tour in this prestigious town. 

 

When the dance group arrived in Cedar, the Heritage Theater show was overbooked, with most of its patrons being local Americans. There were only around 100 Koreans, including students, as well as a handful of immigrants. The tickets have sold incredibly well given the circumstances. 

 

Over 600 soldiers from this town were dispatched to Korea during the Korean War, all of whom returned without a single casualty. Now, many years after their return home, some of them may see another side of Korea they have never encountered before. 
 

◇ The Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company entrances the audience with its delicate and sentimental performance. ⓒ G-News Plus 

 

 

David River, an eighty-one-year-old war veteran who watched the show, said, “I often imagine the poverty I witnessed in a country torn by war when I think of Korea. But today’s performance of Dalha was magnificent. I am glad I was able to reconnect with a distant part of my life through its culture and history.”

 

The entire audience gave the performance a standing ovation and numerous curtain calls, their feet seemingly glued to the theater floor. 

 

Forty-six-year-old Patricia Denny was one of the last to leave the theater, clapping to the very end. “It was a fabulous, dynamic performance. I thought Korea was all about K-Pop, but I think its traditional dance has a more delicate and sensitive side compared to Psy.”

 

The Heritage Theater usually stages classic performances and plays, which is why the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company’s performance of Dalha got extra press for filling up the seats. 

 

An official of the Gyeonggi Arts Center said, “Dalha is based on Taekwondo movements. Its success overseas has offered us a great opportunity to promote Korean dance and Taekwondo around the world. It was a tough schedule to keep up with, but I don’t feel tired when I hear the audience cheering.”

 

◇ The local audience gives the performance a standing ovation. ⓒ G-News Plus 

 

ⓒG-News Plus News | Chun Gyeong-nam | chun0403@kg21.net