Another Day at Bongsan Talchum

December 27th, 2010
I talked with 김은주 Kim Eunju about the performance, she raved about how Yi Maebang had been spine-tingling, goose-bump raising, totally unreally talented, dancing more femininely than a woman when he was younger. Our class was fairly ordinary, the two new people kept working on catching up with the group. 경은 Gyeong'eun, one of them thanked me for uploading the video of the basic motions. Before class finished I promised to upload another video with the other things we practice in class on it. I finished that video the next day, here's the link. It's really awesome because 1) Youtube now allows me longer than 15 minute uploads 2) It shows us practicing a certain part followed by (when available) the preservation association performers in performance doing the same part.

During winter vacation 원중 Wonjung will have a 10 day 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum intensive at school (during the same two weeks that I'll be doing 고성오광대 Goseong Ogwangdae with other students from his school). He'll be taught by 손병만 Son Byeongman and 최창주 Choi Changju. During the rest of vacation he'll study 장구 janggu on his own reconnaissance to shore up what he feels are his weaknesses. I told him he should come to 임실필봉전수관 Imshil Pilbong Training Center but he explained that the kind of drumming he'll have to do in drumming class at Korea National University of Arts (I'd put a 'the' in that name but I am trying to get used to writing their name in English the same way they write it) is so different and the Pilbong drumming is accented in such a different way that he can quickly get in bad habits (partially because he hasn't been drumming that long so his foundation isn't super solid yet). I will follow up on that by asking others like 이종휘 Yi Jonghui to explain, because if that's true then it's very crucial information for why we only see certain types of drummers at the training center, and though they may be very good, they're rarely the type to be majoring in 타악 percussion in university. Yi Jonghui, on the other hand, did major in percussion.

Another task for the day was to nominate names for our group (when we perform). It seems the date has been set for Jan. 22nd, this might work out for me, it might not.