DRIVE EAST 2017: JIN WON & MASTER SUE YEON PARK “Kathak meets Korean Arts”
Wednesday, August 23, 2017, 6PM
Dixon Place
(161A Chrystie St., New York, New York 10002)
Tickets : $25, $35
Kathak meets Seungmu through ritual, movement, and drumming
Korean Kathak dancer Jin Won and Master Sue Yeon Park (President & Artistic Director, The New York Korean Performing Arts Center) explore the philosophical connection between Indian classical dance and traditional Korean dance and music.
Both the Indian classical dance form of Kathak and Seungmu – one of the most important forms of Korean dance – are very rhythmic and dynamic, and rooted in the religions of their regions – Sufism and Hinduism for Kathak, Buddhism for Seungmu. While the physical and musical vocabulary of Kathak and Seungmu differ greatly, for both artforms and its practitioners, the dance is a means to discover oneself, lose oneself in one’s practice, and connect with a higher power.
Jin Won and Master Park delve into the underlying commonalities in their forms, exploring the connections between India and Korea through the vibrant classical and traditional arts of these countries, staying true to their own forms, while also expanding the boundaries of it.
About Master Sue Yeon Park
President & Artistic Director at KPAC & U.S. National Heritage Fellow at NEA, Master Dancer
Sue Yeon Park, one of the foremost Korean artists in the United States today, is a traditional dancer and musician with a specialization in Seung-mu (Buddhist ritual dance) and Salpuri-ch’um (shaman ritual dance). She was trained under Master Yi Mae Bang, one of South Korea’s Living National Treasures. She obtained the prestigious title of yisuja, which designates her mastery at the highest level of Master Yi’s performance lineage of Salpuri-chum. She also holds the title of distinction, yisuja, for the preservation of Seung-mu. Sue Yeon Park performs extensively in the U.S., Canada and Spain and presents numerous recitals and performances in South Korea. Recently, she gave a solo recital featuring Salpuri-ch’um at the Hunter College Kaye Playhouse. In her long-time affiliation with the Korean Performing Arts Center), she has been an instrumental leader and teacher; and has been serving as the President and Artistic Director for the past twenty years. She has produced their annual concerts at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space and Merkin Hall. She has led Sounds of Korea performance group to the Smithsonian Institution, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History and Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival all by invitation. Additionally she is an instructor for Camp Friendship, a New Jersey organization which serves Korean-born adopted children, and The Rutgers University Korean Student’s Percussion Ensemble. She has given guest master classes and adjudicates for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) annual competition since 2004. She is a recipient of the New York Governor’s “Award of Excellence” in May 2004 in recognition of her outstanding achievements and community service to the Empire State, “Best Artist of the Year” Award from the Foundation for Korean Arts and Culture in Korea, and the “Award of Recognition and Appreciation” from Asian American Cultural Center at Rutgers University for her dedication to Korean art and music. In 2008 Sue Yeon Park was named as a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow. She received this honor as a Korean musician and dancer in recognition of her work, for nearly three decades, bringing traditional Korean arts to American audiences. She is the first Korean American artist to receive this honor. She was awarded a New York Immigrant Artist Prize from the Center for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD) in 2013 and nominated for the International Honor for Conservation of Korean Traditions by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2014.
About Jin Won
South Korean artist Jin Won is an accomplished Kathak dancer, tabla player and ambassador for Indian classical arts. Her love for Indian arts led to live in India for over 15 years training in tabla under Pt. Divyang Vakil and in Kathak under Smt. Shubha Desai before joining the Taalim School of Indian Music in the US as a faculty member and artist.
As a tabla player she has performed as a member of the all female tabla ensemble Taalika.
As a Kathak dancer, she has worked with leading choreographers. She has performed in prestigious Indian dance festivals. As a soloist, she has performed in major cities of India, USA, Canada, Europe and Korea. She was featured in an episode of the NJTV program “State of the Arts” in November of 2015. She was invited to present her work by the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission and Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission.
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For more information, visit www.driveeastnyc.org or write to driveeast@navatman.org.