NAMSADANG
Published on | Source
A Troupe of Players
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Performer Kwon Won-tae greets audiences before his tightrope walking performance at the Namsadang Training Center in Ansong, Kyonggi Province, last Saturday.
White fans begin to flutter, and a man flies into the sky, with a single rope beneath his feet and he begins to perform. He stands on one foot with music playing in the background. He walks, sits, crawls and even jokes with the player of the musical instrument as he charges up the crowd.
Up from the air, he watches people cheer with excitement. This is a part of "Orum", tightrope walking, the climax of the Namsadang performance. It was also portrayed in the movie "The King and the Clown".
Namsadang was formed during King Sukjong's (1661-1720) regime. There are 40-50 members ranging in age from a child to an old man. Namsadang was the first entertainers' group in Korea. In times past, they wandered around the country, demonstrating their arts and skills. The leader of the group is called "kkokdusoe", and the whole performance revolves around the role he plays.
The performance includes music, the spinning of dishes made of leather, masquerade, a ventriloquism show and tightrope walking. Orum is considered the most difficult skill of all. Walking on a tightrope three meters from the ground is like walking on thin ice.
The skill is not just tight-rope walking, but includes comical lines and traditional music that creates a "drama". People spice up the performance by shouting "chokunah (great)!" or "olssigu (good)!" A festival that commemorates paudeogi, the only female kkokdusoe ever, is held in Ansong every year.
The festival takes place Sep. 27-Oct. 1. and there is a free Namsadang lecture at the Namsadang institute every Saturday from April to October. For more information, visit http://www.baudeogi.com or call 031-676-4061, 678-2144.
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Performer Kwon Won-tae greets audiences before his tightrope walking performance at the Namsadang Training Center in Ansong, Kyonggi Province, last Saturday.
White fans begin to flutter, and a man flies into the sky, with a single rope beneath his feet and he begins to perform. He stands on one foot with music playing in the background. He walks, sits, crawls and even jokes with the player of the musical instrument as he charges up the crowd.
Up from the air, he watches people cheer with excitement. This is a part of "Orum", tightrope walking, the climax of the Namsadang performance. It was also portrayed in the movie "The King and the Clown".
Namsadang was formed during King Sukjong's (1661-1720) regime. There are 40-50 members ranging in age from a child to an old man. Namsadang was the first entertainers' group in Korea. In times past, they wandered around the country, demonstrating their arts and skills. The leader of the group is called "kkokdusoe", and the whole performance revolves around the role he plays.
The performance includes music, the spinning of dishes made of leather, masquerade, a ventriloquism show and tightrope walking. Orum is considered the most difficult skill of all. Walking on a tightrope three meters from the ground is like walking on thin ice.
The skill is not just tight-rope walking, but includes comical lines and traditional music that creates a "drama". People spice up the performance by shouting "chokunah (great)!" or "olssigu (good)!" A festival that commemorates paudeogi, the only female kkokdusoe ever, is held in Ansong every year.
The festival takes place Sep. 27-Oct. 1. and there is a free Namsadang lecture at the Namsadang institute every Saturday from April to October. For more information, visit http://www.baudeogi.com or call 031-676-4061, 678-2144.
Advertisement