(Performances) Creatives In Motion
Presented by Korean Cultural Center New York and Korean National University of Arts
January 16 - 18, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Korean Cultural Center New York (122 E 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016)
Tickets: Free (Pre-registration is required)
*RSVP and seating are on a first-come, first-served basis.
*Limited same-day standby tickets available.
<Creatives in Motion> is a collaborative project between the Korean Cultural Center New York and the Korea National University of Arts. Designed to showcase emerging Korean artists and foster connections with local artists and audiences in New York, the event will run for five days starting January 14. Featuring promising talents from the Korea National University of Arts, the program includes exhibitions, performances by six artist teams and networking opportunities.
◆ PROGRAM & ARTISTS
<Painting> by Elek-Tradition
<TOM AND JERRY> by T.O.B Group
<K.R.U.S.H! > by Hammer
PROGRAM Ⅰ
▲EleK-Tradition (Korean Traditional Performing Arts & Electronic Music)
<Painting> by Elek-Tradition
<Painting> uses retro sounds associated with auditory memories and incorporates traditional performance art with everyday themes, making it easily accessible to audiences through the concepts of memory and tradition.
SF Drums (7 minutes)
This piece expresses the sound of SF films through the arrangement of shelf-style Janggu Drum.
Arcade Game (11 minutes)
Using the “beep beep” sound of classic arcade games, this piece is composed of lively melodies and rhythms, creating the feeling of an adventure within a game. It features various sounds played on electronic drums, including dynamic rhythms similar to a gong ensemble.
Painting (10 minutes)
The piece "Painting" is for ordinary people who live with memories of the past but are now adults navigating the busy modern world. Based on the melody of the Gyeonggi folk song "Tae-pyeong-ga," this composition carries a message of hope and comfort.
About the Artists
▲EleK-Tradition (Korean Traditional Performing Arts & Electronic Music)
Jihye Kim & Gabdong Cho
“A Dynamic Encounter between Korean Traditional Performing Arts and Electronic Music”.
"EleK-Tradition" is a group created to blend traditional Korean performing arts with electronic music. The name, a fusion of "Electric" and "Tradition," embodies their mission to harmonize tradition and modernity. The team integrates traditional percussion, performance art, and electronic sounds to create multimedia performances that merge music, dance, and drama, aiming to engage and resonate with contemporary audiences.
▲T.O.B Group (Contemporary Dance
PROGRAM Ⅱ
<TOM AND JERRY> by T.O.B Group
“if we stop fighting, we’ll never get anywhere.”
A line from an animation I enjoyed as a kid feels different over time. The scenes of silly cats and cheeky mice chasing each other and pressuring each other for life, and the difficult situations they create, bring out laughter.
Chased by Tom, Jerry sometimes seems distressed, and feels compassion for Tom, who is playful with Jerry, but we know they need each other more and remain in a deep relationship to keep competing.
Perhaps we're having a hard time as Tom or Jerry somewhere. Conversely, aren't we living our daily lives feeling the pressure of the "Tom" or "Jerry" created by the modern world? "Tom and Jerry" began with this question. We freeze and fail in the face of reality that seems to change quickly and force something, but we hope to grow in reality over and over again like Tom and Jerry.
"Tom and Jerry" intends to tap and comfort us at a breathtaking crossroads of choice. The door used in the work is the boundary line between the space that connects the inside and the outside, the reality that we don't want to face at the same time, and the possibility that can only be experienced when opened. In other words, the door means our 'choice'.
I don't know what is a beneficial option in a situation of being chased, but the dynamic movement of dancers moving toward new possibilities by repeating what opens and closes represents modern people in our society.
About the Artists
Madrid Lee, Jeesan Kim, Sejin Park
“Yesterday was closed and today unfolded. One day drifted away, and tomorrow is welcomed.”
T.O.B Group strives to create innovative dance performances by blending various genres, utilizing unique objects, and employing distinctive storytelling techniques to establish its artistic identity. The group continues to explore what kinds of works are truly needed in contemporary society.
PROGRAM Ⅲ
▲Hammer (Creative Gugak)
<K.R.U.S.H! > by Hammer
"K.R.U.S.H!" is an abbreviation of "Korean Rhymes Uniting Strings Harmony," which means a harmonious combination of Korean traditional rhythms and string instruments. Geomungo, Korea's representative string instrument, and percussion instruments that best reveal the joy, anger, sorrow and sorrow of our ancestors met to maximize the beauty of the intersection, and it also contains the meaning of crushed out prejudice against Korean traditional music.
1. Geomungo-nori - 10 minutes
Samulnori originally means a play of four instruments ‘samul’ (kkwaenggwari gong, janggu drum, buk drum and jing gong). But what if the geomungo is accompanied by this samulnori? It presents intense and exciting performances by exchanging various beats of samulnori with the geomungo.
2. Bring to the boil - 7 minutes
Celtic music refers to songs and performances of ethnic styles such as Ireland and Scotland, and it can be said that whistle performance and Enya's songs belong to them. These countries and Korea form a consensus on the emotion of 'Han', and this emotion can be felt in common in music. It was newly arranged with a traditional Korean instrument composition using the song of the Celtic band belt-bring to the foil as a motif.
3. Another Ego - 6 minutes
It explores the duality of another me, that is, the ego. It tries to express a resonant sound between the endless universe and one's inner self. The melody of the geomungo captures our own emotions, and the rhythm that resembles the mysterious order of the universe symbolizes dialogue with another ego. "Alter ego" is a song about the two egos of performers who yearn for freedom while searching for the middle at the boundary between the music I want to do and the music the public wants.
About the Artists
Jiyeon Oh, Taegang Lee, Dong-geon Lee, Seojin Lee, Shinyoung Cho
Team Hammer is a creative gugak group composed of a geomungo player and a percussionist, formed to introduce traditional Korean music to a global audience through experimental and unconventional arrangements. The name "Hammer" symbolizes the powerful, striking motions of percussion instruments and the geomungo, evoking the force of a hammer. Focusing exclusively on the geomungo, the group explores its full potential through diverse playing techniques and percussive performances, showcasing its rich and versatile appeal.