Playing Janggu while Standing

January 13th, 2010
Woke up, breakfast, morning class (videotaped again), had a talk with the 수희 Suhee during break, she's a 전수자 jeonsuja, she started ten years ago. I also haven't mentioned yet that both 원로 Wonno and 은정 Eunjeong keep very detailed notes of how to perform things with the teacher's special directions, so they write down the order of rhythmic patterns through the piece, and special notes about where to accent or what feeling is needed. It's pretty cool.

Lunch. Interviewed 국진 Geukjin and 승민 Seungmin. After lunch Suhee had us practice some more then after break she had us put on our 장구 janggu (strap them on with two white strips of cloth). 영록 Yeongnok immediately appeared at my side with white cloth and helped me strap on my janggu. 개전연 Gaejeonyeon—my 풍물 pungmul family!! First she had us stand in place and play, then we moved around. To many people that is ordinary, but to some people it's fairly new, though none so new as me. It was so much fun. I have to tell you, I felt great. And I don't know if it was my imagination or not, but I played even better than ever, I think because movement allows me to feel rhythm. I know I did well, because the teacher tried to make me take a solo. I refused, because I knew the minute I wasn't next to another janggu player to feel his rhythm I'd probably screw up. It was really fun, though.
Class as of Thursday


Sohee:
Wonno:


At five we had a special class, 소고 sogo. The sogo teacher is the same one I had for a special sogo class last summer, I think she's incredibly patronizing. I kind of wanted to smack her, to tell the truth. She mostly left me alone, and I mostly ignored all but the most basic directions she had for us. In other words, I beat the sogo in the required manner, but I danced with it (even when we weren't moving) as I felt. I love the sogo.

Dinner, internet, afterwards I interviewed 은정 Eunjeong. Which was a very successful interview, she's just so comfortable with me and a very evocative story teller, too. We had our individual practice, but I was pretty exhausted, probably from one hour of sogo dancing. At the end it became a group jam, again. Awesome! Then there was a group meeting with 새미 Saemi and Suhee, too. We discussed how things were running at the training center, no one criticized anything. Then we figured out how to do the Friday performance. That was interesting, because usually in the summer I've experienced everyone together at the Friday performance, then just a selected group for Saturday. The more or less unspoken rule was that if you performed on Friday you wouldn't be on Saturday, although I'm not sure everyone understood that. At any rate, due to the small numbers there is unavoidable overlap. At that moment we had 23 people, because although some people have had to leave (like 선홍 Seonhong), other people have shown up (like 유미 Yumi, one of my original Gaejeonyeon friends.) After the meeting was wash-up time. About three people at a time can bathe, and the men of course aren't mixing in with the women. This means that sharing the one bathing room it takes about 8 rounds to finish the bathing, and some rounds go on way too long. This meant the 뒤풀이 duipuli was going to start so late, I'd lost all my energy and I just went to sleep (even so it was nearly midnight, and I can't sleep well until everyone's stopped moving around).

Drumming Again

January 12th, 2010
It snowed about an inch and a half during the night, covering all of our trails and paths, and making my first trip to the bathroom in the morning a very cold-footed affair.






Breakfast, then we practiced. This was the first time I brought the video camera to class. I video taped the entire class, without a break, to show what 2.5 hours of instruction looked like (playing with the camera and extra sleep last night meant I didn't space out). I will later analyze it for specific important reoccurring elements, to talk about exactly how 수희 Suhee teaches and compare it with teaching style of other teachers. Suhee still talked far too much, in my opinion, but it was a much better class because we practiced the same thing over and over (ten times to be exact). I am drumming the 장구 janggu better than I ever have before.

Lunch and then we had our game afternoon, a tradition here at the Training Center. It breaks up the week. We played three different games, my team lost. It was, however, pretty funny.














Gaming losing team (mine) being pelted with snow as our penalty (I escaped to use the camera, obviously)

Gaejeonyeon members (who were there on Wednesday)

With Wonno, Seungmin, Eunjeong and Yeongnok:

These guys don't LOOK like winners to me...


In the evening after dinner I quickly used the internet then we had our group practice. At first each person did their own thing, for nearly two hours. I spun the 상모 sangmo, but didn't feel super energetic and excited about it. At about twenty minutes to nine the group (again at 은정 Eunjeong's urging) jelled and began to perform as a group. I was going to put away my sangmo but then 지용 Jiyong who is also doing sangmo was still spinning his, so I stood next to him and copied. He can only do the moves I can, and not always better, so it worked out well.

We actually had really warm water, so after a group bathing out of the big bucket (the three of us dippered water out at a rate a bit faster than it replenished) I felt clean and nice, but it was time for 뒤풀이 duipuli, not sleep. The little kids who are studying in another building actually shared some of their duipuli food with us, that was so sweet. We then added more and had a good bunch of food, I mostly talked with 국진 Geukjin, who is a practicing traditional medicine doctor here for the week (he switches from 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari to 장구 janggu to occasionally for fun, 징 jing).

Another Day of Drumming!

January 11th, 2010
I woke up a tad before most of the group again, we all went to breakfast at 8. In case you didn't know, Korean breakfast is the same as every other Korean meal. We had rice, kimchi, soup (seaweed with nothing much in it to give it flavor besides MSG I hope not, maybe just salt), the side dishes were sausage in spicy sauce, flour and fish paste reconstituted into a pancake of fishy tasting flour, sauteed in a spicy sauce, and spinach (steamed).

Morning practice was a bit more frustrating for me than yesterday. The teacher, 수희Suhee literally only stops talking when she's hitting the drum or ggwaenggwari, and not always then. She talked for 35 minutes straight at one point. Yes, much is related to what we're studying, but one of her soliloquy was about a program she'd seen on the news on censorship in a high school. She didn't even explain it well. There was less testing of people's ability to make the rhythm this morning, I guess she's more sure of our ability now. Although she still did some checking (only once on the janggu players but several times on the ggwaenggwari) and spent a long time explaining 호허굿 (Ho heo gut). There seems to be some confusion over how to do it.

We had lunch and then I ended up helping to shovel snow off the very steep path to the cafeteria, it's incredibly dangerous the way it is. It's starting to snow again right now, so having one part of the path without snow or ice to be covered by more snow and ice will be nice. It's been a bit terrifying even to go to the cafeteria, and I've come back the long way almost every time.

Afternoon practice was more of the same; we practiced, but more than that we listened to Sohee speak about a wide variety of things. I continually space out or nod off when she's talking. Bad researcher, bad! Must take detailed field notes (my notebook is just next to me, uncapped pen at the correct page). After dinner, another meat heavy meal that I could barely eat, I felt so weak. I tried to do the evening independent practice—I put on my 상모 sangmo and spun for about thirty minutes, then I sat down and fell asleep for about twenty minutes, waking up I decided it made more sense to just give up entirely, and I went to sleep (until they came back from practice, because it's hard to sleep before everyone else has, but eventually they went downstairs to have 뒤풀이 duipuli and I fell back asleep). I think this was less because the surgery on Friday taxed my body and more because two meals in a row with mostly meat (lunch I could barely eat at all) meant that I wasn't fueled properly.


Seungmin:

Yeongnok:

The Drumming Begins

January 10th, 2010
I woke up at 7:27 and used my private bathroom before going to breakfast with the whole group. I think either someone in the kitchen has lost her sense of taste or we're getting untasted food after someone got way too liberal with the salt. Many people couldn't eat one of the breakfast dishes and one of the lunch dishes due to the pure saltiness. Each meal is much the same. Lunch was white rice, a green vegetable that had been dried and rehydrated- I have no idea what it is in English and doubt it has an English name (this was the super salty dish), jerked fish strips cooked in a spicy with corn syrup sauce, a light bean paste soup made with the same vegetable, a stewed egg dish (I didn't try that) and kimchi. That's about what each meal is. Rice, Kimchi, a soup and two or three side dishes. It gets old.

The morning class let me start to get to know 임수희 Im Suhee, our teacher for the week. All the students, since we're not much over 20 people, have been combined together into one class. Soheui talked a lot, much more than I expected, it almost felt like a lecture instead of a participatory class, but I know it won't be like that the whole time. She's very petite, and I've seen her perform 소고춤 sogo chum before, she's very talented. The room was so hot—our apartment in Seoul has rarely gotten over 14 degrees this winter, because the four outside walls, all with windows has been much too hard to heat (without spending a fortune), but the room was 22, causing me to be drowsy as Suhee talked on and on. Talking was, of course, punctuated by drumming. It was actually surprising, but I think I'm a better drummer now than in summer 2009 when I took the drumming class, and honestly I haven't practiced. Is that weird? She would talk, have us practice what she was talking about, talk some more, ask just the 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari players to play, or just those three people, or that one, and then she'd have us all try again.

Among things she taught us, or reminded us: She wants 장구 janggu players to keep our left elbow way up near shoulder height, except when we're moving from the shoulder (not from the elbow or the wrist) to hit the drum. She wants the ggwaenggwari players to stop moving the ggwaenggwari around, but just to keep it held just below the neck (in height) and out in front of the chest. She switched back and forth from the two instruments are she directed and led and gave examples. At one point she dissed the senior students who pass on their mistakes to junior students, this was directed at Kyunghee students who are here without any of their senior members (Suhee took that as arrogance that the senior members don't think they have anything to learn from the pros). She told a long story about her nephew, too. It wasn't all drumming lecture. Today we have 13 janggu players and 10 ggwaenggwari players but more people will slowly appear during the week. After lunch it was more of the same; a lot of talking, then demonstrations of a pattern, then testing us on it, then all practicing together. At 5:00 we went to the seminar room at the museum and watched a video of an old performance, I slept through a lot of it, others slept through all of it.

At six we went to dinner, the featured food was fried pork "cutlets." I was excited to see though that there was also lightly steamed broccoli. During the dinner break I also managed to bring my computer to the office so I could post my blog, send out my writing for the day to my dissertation group and let everyone know I'm recovering from my surgery.

Our evening practice is without a teacher, just us, and since we're just over twenty people, it's sort of like the same size as a slightly small pungmul group. It was awesome. I brought my 상모 sangmo and 소고 sogo with me, and during the evening two hour period I will concentrate on sangmo. As the dominant personality, 은정Eunjeong took over the practice. No one needed to be in charge of practice, the standard would be for each person to work on what they need to work on (a source of great cacophony) and for after a time each school to set up a mini-practice. But Eunjeong made it all into one big group practice. Naturally Eunjeong is also a 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari player, so she led for most of the time, but also (the people she chose, when she chose) also had a chance to lead the whole group. It was in many ways like a performance, with the ggwaenggwari player choosing players of other instruments to do solos or for janggu players to come out and do the synchronized performance of 설장구 seoljanggu, a highly choreographed piece. All of the players, I should clarify, were standing up, holding their instruments or with them strapped to their bodies. 잎새 Ipsae took a turn on the sogo for a solo and 영록 Yeongnok did a solo on the 징 jing. It was tons of fun. When we took a short break I talked to SBS. They want me to do some TV show. I'm really stupid if I agree, I'm still waiting to see what they'll propose I do.

Our 뒤풀이duipuli for the evening included the most awesome food ever at a duipuli. Yeongnok's mom is a cook and Eunjeong conceived of this dish so they brought everything for it, including the all important sauce that Yeongnok's mom made. The dish was a salad with cooked 라면 ramyeon (instant noodles) with the water all drained off, snails (from several cans of snails) cut down a bit to a more reasonable size and raw carrots, onions and cucumber. The sauce was a vinegared red pepper paste sauce with sesame seeds in it. It was so awesome. Also since I helped chop the veggies (Eunjeong said- "Now that's how a housewife can chop!"), I got extra slices of carrot. And I really was feeling the intense desire for some fresh veggies. I talked about my research and their current studies with three of the four guys from Kyunghee University. They are in English, Sociology and Business. Since the whole conversation featured Pilbong Nongak and 양진성 Yang Jinseong (the head of Imshil Pilbong Nongak) it was a conversation that we all had something to say about, not just me. The one in English is very shy about his ability ("I'm only a second year student" "Yes, but you've studied English since you were a kid.") So, like Wonno, he's an English major who does not (so far as I can see) speak English.



Duipuli:

Imshil Pilbong Nongak Training Center for Drumming Camp

January 9th, 2010
I made it to the bus on time, but I had to take a taxi because of my giant suitcase (including warm blue blanket), 장구janggu (the largest instrument… why didn't I decide to learn 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari the gong approximately the size of a salad plate and a little deeper than the length of the thumb?) and my shoulder bag with computer and various books.

Part of going with 개전연 (개인전수연합) gaejeonyeon, the group I joined in summer 2009, is getting into the group think of Korean group activities. This is when I'm glad Karjam's not with me. I love my husband but he's a serious barrier to me being able to just sink into the group for maximum participant observation research value. When we got to the rest-stop we had to wait outside the bathrooms for everyone to come out. In the convenience store everyone's drinks had to be bought together, which of course means that you should pick something reasonable like my 750 won bottle of water, it would be very bad form to grab a 2,200 won drink, even if you had the money, because the group was pooling their money. Then we bought snacks from the snack vendors, but everything had to be for sharing. I shared my toasted pressed dried fish (쥐포) and received a cookie, a package of cookies (brought from Seoul), a walnut cake stuffed with red bean paste and offers of several other things. It would have been incredibly rude for me not to share. There are several Gaejeonyeon members I don't know with us, most of them are members of 이화여대 Ewha Woman's [sic] University's team. 은정Eunjeong, our dominant personality, graduated from Ewha last year (February, that's Korean graduation month) and maintains a close connection to their team. The most eager team members who didn't feel that one week of practice (with their entire group) would be enough, have come this time as well. They will be returning with the other Ewha members in the same week that I return to do sangmo study. It seems that this will be a small week, traditionally the earlier weeks of the training camp are lightly attended, and winter sees less participants than the summer. There were thirty people pre-registered for the camp, by this evening we'll be able to see just what the attendance is going to be. Unfortunately one of the people going is 김린한 Kim Rinhan who I find absolutely the most annoying of anyone I've met associated with 임실필봉농악 Imshil Pilbong Nongak. We were in the same sangmo class last summer, and until recently he's also attended the Seoul Training Center classes. Eunjeong also finds him very irritating.

After we arrived at the Training Center we met 선홍 Seonhong, who I've been on two previous programs with and met up with at a festival, he's an Arabic major. He also was here the previous week, and so he was tasked with meeting us and telling us that we'd be staying in the 영산관 Yeongsan Hall. Almost all of us will stay in one big room, this is probably because it's cheaper to heat this building, and maybe they're even able to turn off the heat in some of the rooms. One other room is in use, a much smaller one. Gaejeonyeon has one half of the big room but more than one half the people.

Group think manifested again when we pooled our money so that one person could deal with finances for all of us. And when a giant paper was taped to the wall with our six rules, one more large paper, still in progress, tells us what we're responsible to clean on which day. And when it was time to go eat, we all went together. And then when two people had to go back to their rooms, I made sure that we didn't start eating until they got back, and when everyone finished eating we all stood up and turned in our plates, bowls, chopsticks and spoons at once. Actually I didn't have a bowl as the soup was made with meat, but the rest of the meal was fine. One of the girls sitting across from me, however, sat down and looked at her meal and said "this would be a good week for me to go on a diet."

After the meal we all hung around except for a few extra enthusiastic people who went to practice. At 8 we had a big group meeting to lay down the rules and expectations and answer any questions we might have. No one volunteered for the positions of 학생회장 Student President or 총무 Manager, although some did nominate their friends. At last 세미 Semi (Seh-mee), the manager of the winter camp picked too people, the President is 다원Dawon, a woman with an exceptionally great smile, the manager is one of the guys from 경희대 Gyeongheui (Kyunghee) University, 규광 Gyugwang. The three groups who are here are Gaejeonyeon, Kyunghee University and a high school thirty minutes away has sent three students. Then there are a few independent people who naturally are sucked into Gaejeonyeon, which means we are by far the largest and most dominant group. She told the women from our group to sleep in a separate room. In the morning when I woke up, I saw that mostly that's what happened. After reviewing the cleaning duties, the rules for safety and civility at the camp and offering several times to answer questions (no one had any) Semi ended the meeting.

I tagged after her and explained my health issue. She directed me to a restroom that is rarely used, warm and private. I will use that for things related to recovery from my surgery, and I feel confident that I can take care of myself well while I'm here.

We had our 뒤풀이 duipuli or after hours party starting a little earlier than we will the rest of the week, 승민 Seungmin made a huge pot of instant noodles and people shared out various other snacks as well. 막걸리 makgeolli was also shared around the circle. I spent most of my social time talking with 원모 Wonmo (don't get confused as the head of Gaejeonyeon is Wonno) and 휘 Hui, two participants from Kyunghee University. Group think was much in evidence as people shared noodles off the same plate or pan lid, refilled each other's glasses and collectively punished anyone who was out of line (by making them sing). I went to bed, or I went to lie down on the hot floor at a little after 11. I slept fairly well.

Recovery

January 8th, 2010
Thanks to the wishes for my returned good health by many friends, I felt much better today. In fact, I feel better than I felt the day before the surgery, although I feel weak, I feel very little pain.

I met another Fulbrighter, Joji, for coffee and a chat about research and otherwise spent the day taking care of my body.

Tomorrow I will meet my 개전연 Gaejeonyeon friends and we'll catch a bus to 임실필봉농악 Imshil Pilbong Nongak's training center. I have too many things to carry- I don't know how I'll manage to get to the bus. I'm excited for 24/7 research over the next week. I'll try to update my blog from the field.

Here is an excerpt for something I am writing about intensive training camps like this one (Comments welcome):
The camps are a strong community building experience. As Kwon explains, the intense and isolated environment of the camps is "especially conducive to the cultivation and embodiment of certain alternative Korean subjectivities.” (Kwon 2005: 207). In her 2008 book The Gei of Geisha, Kelly Foreman describes the relationship between the geisha and patron who play music together as an experience of time-travel. The two recreate an instance that could be of the past. Search for an imagined past, a time when things are perceived to be in some way preferable to today, or as a break from everyday reality, is a recreational alternative preferred by many people including in America the Civil War re-enactors and members of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Koreans often search in the performance environment for a state of communal heightened consciousness called shinmyeong. Shinmyeong, or combined with the verb 'release', shinmyeong puli, has been compared in the works of performance scholar Cho Dong-il to rasa in India or catharsis (1997, 2005, 2006). It is a state of ecstatic near-abandon that is arrived at in a group, but provides catharsis for each individual who attains the shinmyeong state. Shinmyeong, brought to life through audience/performer interaction, is the acme of what Victor Turner (1969) terms spontaneous communitas. A Korean traditional performance in many folk genres can be considered unsuccessful if the performers have not generated shinmyeong. Expressing shinmyeong, letting loose with abandon, characterizes much of Korean folk cultural participative performance, including mask dance dramas such as Goseong Ogwangdae and drumming and dancing music like Imshil Pilbong Nongak.

Seoul National University Hospital

January 5th, 2010
Our sweet landlady made us lunch. After that I went to the hospital, the whole story is below. We had a date night eating out (Karjam loved the food at the restaurant I chose), then we watched "Tron: Legacy" which was good, but not so good that I understand why some friends have seen it several times. Special effects were great, but there wasn't a whole lot of story.



January 6th, 2010
Went to Incheon and back.

January 7th, 2010
I have foreign insurance, Fulbright required I get it (and told me which company) before leaving for Korea. I had to show proof of insurance, seriously. Which is unfortunate since the Korean gov't insurance is the best.

I've been to Severance Hospital often; they honor my insurance completely (after one phone call the first time I went there, to the insurance company). I don't like Severance much, but it's been convenient, both not to mess with insurance stuff and money and because the location is good for me.

Dealing with my ear I have been trying to suffer through a different problem, hoping it would just go away and a bit ashamed to complain to the doctors about -another- issue. But Wednesday I was in so much pain I finally went to Severance to at least see if my own assessment was correct, and if there was anything else I could do. Unfortunately no specialist could see me till Tuesday (despite what they said on the phone before I left my house), so I went to SNU Hospital, it's one of the three largest in town, with a great reputation, and is closer than Samsung Hospital, the last of the three. The doctor took one look and confidently told me I needed outpatient surgery. With my pain level through the roof, I agreed and we scheduled it for Friday. (I seriously told him "8, 9, whatever time you get here, I can be here").

The International Health Care Center people at the hospital (because foreigners without Korean insurance in particular, but non-Korean speakers in general go through the International Health Care Center) told me that with a "guarantee of payment" letter from the insurance company it'd be fine, and I was told it would run a little under 1,000 USD for my procedure. The guarantee was necessary because they claimed they'd never worked with my company (Seven Corners) before. I called the company and at first the company wanted to see a doctor's letter about the procedure and my medical records, as well as a cost estimate, but finally seeing as how it's not that expensive a surgery, the company sent the letter on Thursday midday. (To get the doctor's letter was impossible on such short notice; he only goes to SNU hospital twice a week).

When I got to the hospital Friday morning the International Health Care Center people claimed not to have gotten the letter, I sent it again (I'd been cc:ed) and left the Int'l Center for my surgery. Which was hella painful. Like incredibly. The local anesthetic worked but I had to get three shots, very sensitive and painful going in). Also since I've never gotten surgery before, I was scared to pieces. My arms were shaking the entire time, I couldn't even begin to relax. After the surgery I received instructions that makes me worried about my upcoming intensive classes—if I can't do proper post-surgery care, how can I be sure the surgery will work? Esp. the second class, starting on the 16th, will be in a facility with no hot running water.

After struggling to get my clothes back on, I slowly hobbled back to the center to settle everything and then quickly get my post-op pain meds before the local wears off, but they were complete NUMBSKULLS. They claimed to need to talk to the insurance company, but the letterhead didn't have the 24 hour number (that's the company's fault, obviously), and they didn't bother to go read the email where the 24 hour number was, so they'd done nothing while I was gone. And just suggested I pay up front in cash and get reimbursed later. I get paid by Fulbright twice, once was a couple weeks before I left, once in early January (when? I wish I knew!). Since arriving here required huge expenses like my security deposit, I am really nearly completely out of money. (Fortunately I paid for the rent, due the 9th, already). They needed to talk to the company, despite saying they'd just need the guarantee of payment letter, because they didn't know the company. Or so they said, because the insurance company knew the email, phone, address and all of SNU hospital as soon as I said Korea and the hospital's name-- obviously they have worked together before. I found the number on the email for them and they proceed to talk to other people in the hospital (they'd obviously just hoped I'd pay cash) and make calls and try to arrange a bunch of paperwork (including a paper where I swore to cover the cost if the company doesn't come through) and all this for close to two hours. My local anesthetic wore off almost immediately, but I couldn't leave the hospital to go to the pharmacy (also I didn't have the prescription until I covered the charges) and so I was standing there, bleeding in my bandages, tears running down my face from the intense pain. Finally they ordered the pharmaceuticals delivered to the hospital (seriously, in Korea you can get anything delivered, there is even a service now that bragged they'd once delivered toilet paper to a customer in a public restroom). I took the pain drugs, but ten minutes later got extremely nauseous- I forgot I hadn't eaten anything since the previous night. Intense prescription pain pills on empty stomach. I did not regurgitate, thankfully, but the pills didn't make a huge difference in my pain, I swear it was perhaps 10% to 20% less after taking them. Oh and the whole time I needed to pee so bad my bladder hurt but my body wouldn't relax those muscles.

At last everything was taken care of and I went outside. I swear my body was so out of it I couldn't even react to the sunlight, I was in this overexposed world with everything insufferably bright. I managed to make out a taxi in the glare and crawled into the back seat. He took me right to my door. I didn't even regret the traffic jam that raised the rate.

Outside the hospital. These heaters are just outside and above the doors.

My feet in "OR" slippers and SNU hospital pants:

Front of the hospital:

Jjimjilbang and Sangmo Class

January 4th, 2010
Karjam and I decided to finally go to the 찜질방 jjimjilbang (Korean spa/sauna). I love the jjimjilbang and even more I love the traditional bath house (a dying breed now that almost everyone has indoor bathrooms with hot water), but I kept being held up by wanting Karjam to have a Korean man to accompany him in the sex segregated areas the first time we went. We arrived around 11 a.m. and I bathed slowly, soaking in the various tubs of water after scrubbing, then scrubbing even more. Despite my leisureliness when I went to the public area of the jjimjilbang to wait for Karjam I had to wait –an entire hour- because he was enjoying the bathing area so much. There are snack shops and a restaurant and many interesting saunas and everything in the jjimjilbang. Finally at 3 Karjam decided to stay and I left. I wrote in Chans Bros coffee shop for almost two hours and then came home to eat a quick bite before heading to 상모 sangmo. When I left home I called Karjam, he'd left the jjimjilbang just a few minutes before. That was money well spent (ten bucks for entry including clothes to wear in the communal area, and towels. There is soap inside but I bring all my own shampoo, lotion, body scrubbing implements and so on).

Sangmo class was only 현석 Hyeonseok and I, again. 이종휘 Yi Jonghui was busy, so instead we had 변재원 Byeon Jaewon. He's a good teacher, too. They both are, though Jonghui is definitely more advanced. I got an incredible workout especially toward the end of the class when we were doing 양사위 yangsaui and suddenly he told us to change to 일사 ilsa (like a figure 8 in the air), which of course is just at the outside end of my current range of ability. It was actually pretty fun, I may become a good sangmo person, yet.

Comments Welcome!

Dearest Readers-- please feel free to comment! Your comments esp. related to research activities (even just asking why this or for more explanation of that)can help me to understand what I need to write in my dissertation or give me new ideas for my research. I really would love some feedback!

Cell phone photo of me before performing Songpa Dari Balpgi:

Lunch with Kim Yeongsuk and Bongsan Talchum

January 1st 2011
Nothing exciting to report research wise

January 2nd 2011
Another sort of day off research, aside from writing. I wrote yesterday, too.

January 3rd, 2011
I had lunch with 김영숙 Kim Yeongsuk, the office manager (and an 이수자 isuja) for 송파산대놀이 Songpa Sandae Noli. We really get along very well, and we had a long and pleasant talk over a really delicious lunch. The conversations were research related at times and personal at times, the research related stuff is better to leave out of the public account.

In the evening I had 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum, but it was so frustrating, I packed a bag with my clothes, 미투리 slippers and 한삼 hansam sleeve extensions and then walked out of the house without it. I forgot the slippers last week, too. The problem is that we practice on a wood floor, without heating under it. The wood is so cold at this frozen time of the year that the cold travels up my legs until my knees are locked up with cold. Happily, however, 원중 Wonjung had an extra pair of sweatpants to lend me and 김은주 Kim Eunju let me use her hansam. We got a new student, who came escorted by her mom. Before long, mom decided to participate, too. Mom was noticeably better than the daughter, who is in middle school. In fact we had 16 people at rehearsal! Amazing! Everyone's getting jazzed for the performance, so they rehearsed really hard, first 사상좌 sasangjwa novice monk dance before Kim Eunju even got there, then we did all the monks and we did 사자춤 lion dance on our own as well. Since 영신 Yeongshin and 병호 Byeongho, both people who perform the lion dance with the troupe were there, it was a really good rehearsal. At the very end of class, Kim Eunju continued what she started last Thursday, teaching the motions of 소무 Somu. And we named our performance group: 탈 그리고 춤.

A Lot of K-Pop Releases (best saved for last)

K-pop Reviews

SM the Ballads' “Hot Times” has a smokey bluesy sound in parts; actually it’s a much better vehicle for the voices of the guys than their previous video release. It is clear that Jonghyun is the best of them, though. And I’m only a tiny bit biased.

One of the boys from B2ST with an incredibly stupid new hairdo and one of the women from Davichi has released a song called "Udon." It’s not a dance track, so it’s surprising that I sort of like it, I think mainly because the video is just too cute. The song is about udon (the noodles) and in the video the boy and girl alternate on who is able to eat a lot of udon, the successful eater is the object of love for the other person.

Strawberry Fields has released a new song, 별빛행진곡 which is quite different from most Korean pop music. First it really does have a Beatles flavor. It’s neither dance nor ballad but something else, with decent music and a very odd fantastical video featuring a small boy with a horn near a very interesting beach clambering on the on the rocks, sand and bluff. I like it. I don’t know how much I’d want to hear it, or see it, but it feels so refreshing compared to most Korean pop music.

John Park, most recent runner up of the Korean version of American Idol has released a jazzy pop piece, it sounds like he’s trying to copy Kim Geunmo, but he doesn’t have the pipes. The song is called “I’m Your Man” and the video is just him in the studio. I don’t know how well he’ll do with these non-traditional pop piece, but it does show off his voice, and I appreciate the fact that when he inserts English into his song it sounds completely natural and fluent (he’s Korean-American), whereas many stars just insert random English that might not mean anything, or be grammatically incorrect, and it can be said awkwardly.


Girls Generation has a new song,“Snowy Wish.” It’s truly annoying, full of product placement and recycled footage, there is no choreography and the song is ordinary, so unless you’re a maniacal fan you won’t find much in this new release.

F.Cuz released a new song “괜찮아” with the subtitle “for my fans.” The song is a syrupy ballad. Nuff said.

After School, a group notable only because their lead, Gahi, is amazing, released a “Love Love Love” in two versions. The first version shows clearly the story of the song. The second version has a video that is sort of like the music to accompany a composite scene in a movie or television drama that explains that the characters are models. But the music is obviously supposed to be Christmas with jingling bells and a melody that almost rips off that theme song from “Love, Actually” and it’s all delivered in this super sappy saccharine way.

New group Dal Shabet has released their first video, Supa Dupa Diva. I'm not sure if they know what the word Diva means. And Koreans say "Diba" not "Diva" anyway. The song is so annoying, I can't even barely watch the video. I hope this doesn't do well, but a sinking feeling in my gut says it will.

A new Chinese group has debuted but they're obviously going for a Korean look at sound, even to the extent of getting a Korean female singer to be a guest star in the video. HIT-5 is the name of the group, I'll give you only one guess how many members they have. Here's the link to the video, which really should receive money for product placement of the Apple iphone. The song itself? Only interesting if you want to practice your Chinese listening skills, in my opinion.

The men of MBLAQ are finally back with a sexy video full of ultra sexy dance moves. If you can get past the excessive eye make-up on the members, you'll be sure to notice the Rain inspired/choreographed movements with a very active and mesmerizing pelvic emphasis. Cry is a bit soft, almost ballad like, and not likely to do super well, but the boys sure look hot. Or wet. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.


One Way, a group made up of three overseas Koreans- either one Australian and two Americans or I have the numbers wrong, have released an English language song. The song, “Rainy Days” is actually really awesome, they’re good singers and the acoustic sound of the song is refreshing compared to normal Korean releases. The guys aren’t going to win awards for being the hottest faces out there, but they should get more notice just based on their skills.


G-Dragon and TOP (two members of Big Bang) released their video "Knock Out" today. I have to admit, I hope this does well. In fact, I already downloaded the audio track a few days ago. The video has a very year of the rabbit feel. You should watch it even if you don't like rap because these two are super daring. Like CL for 2NE1 (a group with the same management company) they're known for their outrageous look/fashion sense. It's here in full flaming glory. They're so tongue in cheek and very very up to date. Let me put it this way, Johnny Depp at his most wild would fit into this video.



But the most exciting thing, I saved for last, is that DBSK/TVXQ (동방신기) (or what's left of a five man group, now only two) has released their new song, "Keep Your Head Down." It's pretty fantastic, the song grows on you as you hear it more. If amazing dance wasn't reason enough, the outfits are a reason to watch the video. First of all, the V-neck is taken to EXTREMES here. Second, psychedelic suits, seriously. Third, they wear tail coats that end up looking a bit more like sedate Dracula capes. So much fun just to look at the clothes. The weakest thing is the rap which should have been left out. And if you still didn't click the link, my friend Tim calls this video "the hottest Bromance the world has ever seen." Clicked now, didn't you.