HECHI, GOES TO NEW YORK!
Presented by Korean Traditional Dance Research, Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center, Korean Traditional Culture Art Center Association in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center New York
Saturday, September 7, 2024, 7 PM
Colden Auditorium at Queens College
(153-49 Reeves Ave, Flushing, NY 11367)
Tickets: FREE
*RSVP and seating are first come, first served
Join us for “Hechi Goes to New York!” where Seoul’s iconic character, Hechi, brings the beauty and excitement of Korean traditional art to the heart of New York.
This special event features a variety of performances, including traditional dance, folk songs, gayageum byeongchang, percussion, a Hanbok fashion show, and a unique blend of Korean music and jazz.
Experience the richness of Korea’s cultural heritage and enjoy interactive activities like K-Beauty demonstrations. This event promotes cultural exchange and showcases the vibrant fusion of Korean tradition and modern sensibility. Don’t miss this extraordinary celebration of Korean arts!
This event will be held simultaneously in English and Korean. There will be MCs in both languages.
■ Program
(PART 1) Beauty of Tradition
Welcome Hechi, Korean Drumming Ensemble
An Korean drum Ensemble performance by 11 members of the Korean drum Ensemble, comprised of elementary, middle, and high school students active in New York, USA, welcoming Seoul City character Hechi and a Korean performance troupe.
Cast: Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center (KTMDC) Simon Cho and 10 members
Sugeon Ipchum
The performance opens with dancers wearing colorful Hanbok costumes holding Sugeon of various colors symbolizing the unity of people around the world and performing a Sugeon Ipchum.
Cast: Youngshim Kwon and 19 members of the Korean Traditional Dance Research Society
Ssangseungmu
Seungmu, the highlight of traditional dance that is evaluated as having the highest artistry among folk dances, is shown through the dance of two dancers, as the essence of Korean dance’s unique ‘movement in stillness and stillness in motion’ is well expressed.
Cast: Hyunjong Lim, Hayeon Lee
Gayageum Byeongchang & Ballet "Love Song“
A ballerino from the New Jersey Ballet of the United States and a Korean female traditional dancer perform a collaborative performance to the Korean traditional music Gayageum Byeongchang Sarangga.
Gayageum Byeongchang: Heekyung Wei (National Gugak Center Folk Orchestra Leader)
Ballet: New Jersey Ballet ballerina Felip Valentini, Korean dancer Jooeun Kim
Seoul, my soul Hallyangmu
Hallyangmu, an elegant and stylish traditional dance performed by a scholar wearing a hat and colorful robes, is shown as a group dance.
Cast: Hyunjong Lim, Yusun Kang, Sangik Han, Wongeun Lim, Jaehwi Kim, Hayeon Lee, Younghee Lee
(PART 2) Harmony of Tradition and Jazz
Arirang & Jazz
Arirang Fantasy performed by a 10-member American jazz band
conductor: Brian Landrus(Associate Professor of Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music))
play: Brian Landrus Jazz Band
Salpurichum & Jazz
A stage where Korean Namdo Sinawi and Saetaryeong play jazz, a Western improvisational music, in Afro-blue, and Salpuri dance is performed to jazz accompaniment.
Salpuri dance: Youngshim Kwon / Saetaryeong: Heekyung Wei, Jaehyang Ko
play: Brian Landrus Jazz Band
Korean Folk songs & Jazz
Jazz band collaboration with Gyeonggi and Namdo folk songs
- Instrumental music collaboration (piri, saenghwang, haegeum, ajaeng) - Haeju Arirang ( Seongjo's Jeong song)
- Gyeonggi Sori Collaboration – Miryang Arirang, Gangwon-do Arirang
- Gyeonggi-Namdo Sori Chorus – Jindo Arirang
Namdo Sori: Heekyung Wei, Jaehyang Ko/ Gyeonggi Sori: Jaehwi Kim, Jihyeon Shin
Instrumental performance: Mihyeon Shin (flute, saenghwang), Eunchan Koh (ajaeng), Jimin Jeong (haegeum)
Dance Collaboration: Yerin Choi, Sohee Shin, Wongeun Lim, Sangik Han
play: Brian Landrus Jazz Band
Dance moves, Pangut, Hanbok fashion show, chorus
Janggo Chum: KTMDC Monica Chung, JiHae Park, Anna Kang, Zoe Kim
Jindo Drum Dance: Yusun Kang
Beokku dance: Eunjeong Jeong, Sohee Shin
Pangut performance: KTMDC Chunghwan Kim and other performance troupe (7 people) / Burna, twelve feet, buponori
Hanbok Fashion Show: All Performers
Choir: Eastern Americas Korean Traditional Music Children's Choir
■ Korean Traditional Dance Research Society
The Korean Traditional Dance Research Society was established to contribute to the continuous research, transmission, and development of traditional dance, led by master dancer Seonun Lim I-jo, who has been a master of Korean dance and has devoted himself to dance for more than half a century.
Its main projects include globalization of traditional dance and the popularization of traditional dance through modern reinterpretation, cultural arts education to improve the expertise of traditional dancers, and on-site cultural sharing projects for the culturally underprivileged.
■ Korean Traditional Culture Art Center Association
The Korean Traditional Culture Arts Center Association, a non-profit organization founded in 2004, is dedicated to advancing cultural and artistic development and promoting the broad appreciation of traditional arts. Its goals are to enhance public access to cultural experiences, improve quality of life, foster cultural exchanges among individuals, groups, and regions for the balanced development of traditional arts, and boost the national image through international cultural promotion.
Recognizing the growing global interest in Korean culture, the Center is committed to sharing the diversity, excellence, and unique emotional resonance of Arirang with audiences worldwide. To nurture long-term and sustainable engagement with Arirang, the Center runs the "Arirang Cultivation Project for Future Generations Overseas," which teaches Arirang performance and singing techniques to students globally. The Center is also working to feature Korean folk songs, including Arirang, in international music textbooks.
Since 2013, the Center has been focused on branding and globalizing the iconic Korean folk song "Arirang" through a range of international promotional activities. It regularly hosts collaborative performances that span genres such as Korean traditional music, jazz, ballet, classical, hip-hop, big band, and orchestra, all centered around Arirang.
To support emerging artists, the Center operates the AI ONE Performance Hall, where projects like "HuSaengGaoi," "UnDangPungRyu," "SoNyeonPungRyu," "UnDangPungRyu ByeongChangJeon," and "UnDangPungRyu DongHaeng" are designed to discover and develop traditional performers. Since 2023, the Center has been organizing overseas tours under the "Dynamic KOREA" brand, which showcases a fusion of traditional arts, contemporary dance, and K-POP.