Transmission of Performing Arts within the Family

November 19th, 2010
In the morning I went to the history class at SNU. Again, she put me to sleep. I think she’s super knowledgeable but a hot room, cold day, blinds drawn, lights low, slide show… added to Professor Bak’s really mellow voice, it just was not a good situation. I just have not been able to sleep much since early in the week.

After class I ran errands, came home and in the evening Karjam and I went to the second in a series of three nights of performances at the 중요무형문화재전수회관의 풍류극장 Intangible Cultural Asset Training Center’s Pungryu Theatre. The series was focusing on transmission within families. It was really amazing, but I wish we’d been able to see Thursday’s show. Friday was also quite special, with four acts. The first act was 신상철 Shin Sangcheol and his wife 선영숙 Seon Yeongsuk performing with (among others) their two sons 신현식 Shin Hyeonshik and 신현석 Shin Hyeonseok. They performed several pieces, the first was 가곡 gagok but I must admit that I find Hilary’s assistant 기쁨 Gibbeum’s gagok to be more appealing. The highlight was when the family (plus several others) played 시나위 shinawi. Since my research is on transmission, this was a wonderful example of transmission to see. The father was playing 단소 danso and 해금 haegeum, the mother played 가야금 gayageum and the two sons played 아쟁 ajaeng and haegeum.

The second act was not one I was looking forward to, because I am so sick of seeing 살풀이 salpuri (a dance rooted in shamanism) and 승무 seungmu (a dance rooted in Buddhism). They are performed too much, but I felt that the two performers, a mother and daughter 김복련 Kim Boknyeon and 신현숙 Shin Hyeonsuk, had a slightly new/different interpretation. In particular the daughter’s interpretation of seungmu felt fresh, usually we see two styles: the style perpetuated by 이매방 Yi Maebang (who actually performed on Thursday) and the style of 한영숙 Han Yeongsuk (now deceased), sometimes called the 경기 Gyeonggi style. Many dance historians insist that both dances were originally choreographed by 한성준 Han Seongjun, who as you might guess is the father of Han Yeongsuk. The two performers we saw are registered for the -regional- arts of salpuri and seungmu for the Gyeonggi region, so it's reasonable to guess that they are preserving the Han Yeongsuk-ryu, yet I've seen other performers of that ryu and the dance (particularly for seungmu) was somewhat different. The pamphlet information on their performance, although written by 이병옥 Yi Byeongok, one of my Songpa Sandae Noli performers, a dance historian professor, did not get into the extreme politics of ryu. (Extreme politics indeed, as regional performers will get a smaller stipend than nationally registered performers, less status, fewer paying students, fewer performance opportunities, and if indeed some can argue that their performance is the more 'authentic' one... well, you understand). [Advertisement for Korea featuring a seungmu dancer. It's just really cool looking, won't give you an idea of the dance, though.][Just a couple minutes of salpuri]

The reason I went to the show, though, was to see the third act, 박동매 Bak Dongmae. She had learned from her mother, the late 조공례 Jo Gongnae. I had a chance to meet Bak in 2008 and interview her, I was very impressed with her attitude and I love her singing voice. She is the National Human Treasure for 남도들노래 Namdo Deulnorae, a type of work (farming) song from the southern corner of Korea such as her home, Jindo Island. Bak’s performance was great, with three other women singing chorus verses and they acted out various tasks of carding and spinning as well as transplanting and weeding the rice seedlings as they sang.

The last act was another mother/daughter pair, 박경자 Bak Gyeongja and 김명이 Kim Myeongi. Their art (both of them are certified in the same art, which wasn’t the case in all of these families) is 삼설양굿 Samseolyanggut, a shamanic ceremony from 순천 Suncheon and registered for protection as a regional (South Jeolla Province) art, not for national protection. Karjam and I watched this show for nearly an hour as they performed the ceremony, (which was, like many gut, quite bizarre with knives and shoveling food into mouths, and sexual behavior, cross-dressing and well... the things that society usually sweeps under the rug) but as it grew closer to 11 and I became more concerned that we’d miss the last bus and have to take a subway home (and as I found the gut more and more repetitive) we finally left before they’d finished. We were already some of the longest remaining audience members. Packed at the beginning, apparently much of the audience had come for the first two acts, by the time the third act started nearly half the audience had left.

Gangnyeong Talchum Performance

October 15th, 2010
I will spare you my general range of frustrations with Korean medical practice (don’t worry, nothing is really wrong except my knees being so aggravated by all the mask dance and sangmo practices) but I will at least point out one really annoying thing: Why does Fulbright require me to get insurance that is only accepted at THREE hospitals in Korea? (Or other places I could apply to be reimbursed I suppose). My 1,000 USD insurance for the year is ultimately much less useful than the less than 100,000 (less than 100 USD) insurance I got Karjam (which is honored EVERYWHERE).

I picked up Georgy’s business/name cards, went to the 아현시장 Ahyeon Shijang for 반찬 banchan (side dishes) and some vegetables after my frustrations with the hospital.
Cell phone photo of my favorite banchan making ajumma:


At 4:00 I headed to the 국악원 gukakwon to watch a performance “추셔요” (Chushyeoyo) by one member from 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum and two other mask dancers. Normally I don’t enjoy the neo-traditional performances very much, but I’m curious about them from a research standpoint and due to the Bongsan connection I thought it’d be nice to attend. Fortunately since the performance started so early the traditional music shop attached to the Korean Musical Instrument Museum was open and I slipped in for two CDs, one of 가곡 gagok since I suddenly find it so fascinating, and one a group 산조 sanjo production with solo and ensemble pieces on it. I admit I partially liked the packaging on the sanjo CD (which is a double box set and features one sanjo piece for each of the standard sanjo instruments, plus 시나위합주 shi-na-ui ensemble and 산조합주 sanjo ensemble) but the gagok CD was the shopkeeper’s favorite female gagok recording (but didn't have such nice packaging, it's from the mid-90s).



The performance featured four musicians who each played multiple instruments (sometimes as sound effects, sometimes as musical instruments and they also sang). In some cases I found what the musicians were doing more interesting than the three mask dancers. All their instruments were traditional, but to make sound effects to accompany the drama they used them in some interesting/unconventional ways at times. The musicians did a great job moving the story along, too. For example at one point the characters are traveling and one man sang 아리랑 arirang (a folk song) from different regions of Korea to illustrate their journey from one place to another. The three mask dancers were all young (late 20s approximately) and they entered in traditional masks and 민복 (white peasant style traditional cotton clothes) with large containers (chests and a rice cooking pot) which contained clothes and masks which they changed (humorously) into at a certain point in the story. Much of the story was slapstick and the dialogue, though delivered in a mask dance style (aurally similar) was in modern Korean and easy to understand. The jokes were things like peeing on the audience (a particularly suave college kid held out a paper cup, caught the pee and drank it to even more comic effect than if the "peeing" had included only audience avoidance), or when the blind man tries to identify the animal and finds a tail in the back and then finds another “tail” in the front. The movements were consistently from the mask dance dramas the three represented throughout the drama, even after they’d changed into the non-traditional masks. It was interesting, but also outdoors with the wind blowing and I hadn’t worn enough clothing.

I met Georgy at the train station and we hurried as fast as public transportation would allow to the 무형문화전수회관 Intangible Cultural Properties Training Center and the 풍류극장 Pungryu Theatre for the performance of 강령탈춤 Gangnyeong Talchum. We were a tad late, but like last week the tiny theatre was practically empty because people are so unused to having to (gasp!) pay for traditional performances (again, it was the paltry sum of 5,000 which for the quality of performers is a HUGE bargain). I was sorry to miss the initial introduction, throughout one of the members of the troupe introduced each act (and wrapped up the previous act) in a very engaging fashion including pointing out the special facets “this next act contains all of our basic dance movements” another time “Gangnyeong Talchum is particularly known for having more singing than other mask dance dramas” etc. The performance was quite good, I like how most of the masks are worn on top of the heads for Gangnyeong Talchum so you can see the performer’s faces.

--a short Youtube video of highlights from the performance shot on Karjam's camera, not the video camera--

Georgy and I met Karjam for a snack near our house after the show. She has a conference this weekend in Seoul.

A Visit to Changwoo Theatre and Won Jung's Audition

October 13th, 2010
I stayed home doing computer work (mostly photos) all day, Karjam came home after his exam fairly pleased with himself, in the early evening we took a walk on 남산 Namsan (maybe I can upload photos later) while practicing his Korean prepositions.

October 14th, 2010
In the morning I went to class with Professor Hilary Finchum-Sung, the day’s lesson was on shamanic music. Her largest point was that the music used by hereditary shamans is often much more elaborate/sophisticated because they have been training throughout their life, whereas the spirit-descended (spirit infected/possessed) shamans often have to play catch up quickly, though they do sometimes hire the musicians of the hereditary shamans (often relatives of hereditary shamans) to accompany them. She offered an opportunity to attend a performance by her TA 기쁨 Gibbeum (seriously, I saw it written) and other students, I accepted. After class we bus/subway-ed our way to 북천 Bukcheon (a traditional neighborhood near 인사동 Insadong) and the small (approximately 80 seat) 창우극장 Changwoo Theatre. After a delay Gibbeum and her group (she’s the leader) of three women and three men singing 가곡 gagok accompanied by several musical instruments (양금, 장구, 가야금, 징 and probably others, I was really focusing on the singers) began the performance. They sang two extremely interesting pieces, her group is called 월하가인 Wolha Ga-in if you have a chance, see them. Then another group, called 아나야 Anaya played and sang several totally put-me-to-sleep numbers which could best be described as soft jazz with some Korean instruments (mostly overpowered by the guitar, bass, top hat & snare and chimes). In other words, I am not recommending this group, although competent, they were not exciting. [Anaya on Youtube, some of this is better than what they did today by far example 1, example 2, example 3]

After late lunch with Hilary I rushed home, grabbed a change of clothes, 미투리 mituri and 한삼 hansam and left for 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum. On Thursdays we practice in the largest room on the 9th floor (북청사자놀음 uses the really large practice room above the theatre on that day), so I always visit the 봉산탈춤보존회 Bongsan Talchum Bojonhoi (Preservation Association) office before class. Today when I got there 원중 was jumping up and down to tell me he had made it to the second round in his application to the Korean National University of the Arts. So now I can tell you about the first audition.

There were 39 students who applied as specialists in 풍물 pungmul performance of some kind—they chose a piece on 장구 janggu, 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari, to show off 상모 sangmo skills while playing 소고 sogo or other such piece for their audition. Four students did mask dance, three 봉산 Bongsan and one did 강령탈춤 Gangnyeong Talchum. Six students did 무속 musok (shamanic performance and Won Jung didn’t have any details about what specifically they did, so sorry, I’m not sure) and three students did some aspect of 남사당 Namsadang. On the first day they all played 설장구 seoljanggu (while sitting) and on the second day they did the specialties listed above. Five test examiners sat in a row and watched them, with 김덕수 Kim Deoksu (a professor at the university), one of the most famous janggu players in Korea, a founder of the group 사물놀이 Samulnoli in 1978, and the child of a Namsadang 인간문화재 National Human Treasure, sitting directly in the center his arms crossed and his brow puckered in a frown. Won Jung told me he was so scared he even screwed up the easiest part of the beginning of seoljanggu. After he did his mask dance solo on the second day they asked him to sing the song that is sung by 취발이 Chuibali, the character he danced, and after he ended told him he’d done well. Of all these students (my math makes is 52) only 13 can enter the university. That must mean that 23 advanced to the second round, because Won Jung told me that ten more will be eliminated after the second round of auditions, to be held on Monday. At that time Won Jung has to sing, not his strongest point. I really hope he can make it. [video of 김덕수 Kim Deoksu playing 설장구 seoljanggu)

photo: Won Jung showed me the results on the computer, he was pretty pleased with himself.

Bongsan Talchum practice was pretty ordinary, we worked on the daesa of the 3먹중 (third dark faced monk) and practiced all the other normal stuff. 수미 Sumi, who has been absent, is back since her high school midterms are now over.

Gagok, Bongsan and Coffee with Bukcheong Saja Noleum Performers

October 7th, 2010
I still feel horrible. But I really had to drag myself to Prof. Hilary Finchum-Sung’s class, or burn that connection (partially anyway), so I went. It was totally amazingly educational, of course. The class subject was vocal music and devoted half to court/upper class forms and half to folk forms, her TA is actually doing an MA in 가곡 gagok, the most aristocratic of all the singing styles, and something that was MUCH more interesting when just watching her sing than when going to some concert with it dragging on a bit too long and sandwiched between things I enjoy much more (like every single folk performance genre). She demonstrated very carefully and the background explanation made the difficulty of the genre clear. We tried singing a little 시조 shijo, which is a considerably simpler but also aristocratic singing style and just the difficulty in that was too much for non-musical me. At the end of the folk section we sang 진도 아리랑 Jindo Arirang and Hilary demonstrated a bit of a song she’d recently sung on TV with her daughter, and it was quite impressive, although she claims not to capture the perfect Korean flavor. [Youtube example of 가곡 which comes in distinctly male and female versions, if you listen to the whole thing you should know that this is only 3 lines of a poem! Each syllable can be stretched for many syllables in the song and no, Koreans do not understand the poem when they hear this. Apparently it is meditative to sing and practice and very much a part of the Confucian aesthetic. The female version is more impressive, I think.]

I staggered home, my head pounding, and Karjam nursed me, then I slept for an hour and a half and headed to 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum class. I would have skipped it, but I had an appointment with 지훈 Jihoon, my friend from 북청사자놀음 Bukcheong Saja Noleum at 9 after he finished their practice, so I went ahead. It was fortunate that I decided to go because I arrived a bit early and had a chance to interview the new office manager (the fourth since I've been doing Bongsan Talchum) about why they'd hired him (he has an MBA) instead of someone with a traditional arts background. In short, they're going to expand into more fusion performances, or appearing in shows before or after fusion performances, and are readying teams who can present Bongsan Talchum in new and interesting ways. I have not formed my opinion yet. And while I was there two guys for 고성오광대's fusion team showed up! And the one guy knows me, so... it was a good day not to be absent. I only practiced the key parts of the dance, and skipped everything repetitive, extra strenuous and stuff I have down pat. 원 중 Won Jung called right before class started to tell me he thought he’d made a couple small mistakes (in his audition to a traditional performing arts program in university) but overall had done pretty well, then he came and we talked more, I will relay those details when I find out if he goes to the second round or not.

I went to Starbucks with Jihoon and another Bukcheong guy, 이 우 Yi U, it has been quite some time since I met a Korean with no consonants in their name. We talked politics of performance, which was quite useful to hear it from their (performing) perspective, especially since they are in another group. Came home. Writing this. Need to collapse.

Photo off my cell: the new very very bright Posco Building across the street from the training center.