A fusion of the past and the present
Blue lights flickered and eerie music played as Korea Club performers began dancing. Dancers were wearing “hanbok” and “gat,” while holding a fan and waving it around creating a visually pleasing movement and flow. Lights turned brighter as they transitioned to the second part of their dance highlighting three dancers. The crowd sang along to the music and performers ended their performance showing the South Korea flag.
Kyeongmin “Robin” Kang, a senior from South Korea majoring in supply chain and economics and the head director, said the club wanted to showcase their culture both the past and present. He said they decided to show the past by their costume, integrating it with K-pop songs to show their present.
Kang said they were performing two songs from the movie “K-pop Demon Hunters.” The first song is titled “Your Idol” and the second song is “Golden.” He said the first dance is inspired by a Korean fan dance, signifying unity. “This dance shows the cultural side of our performance. It shows “uri” or in English, "us, ourselves or as one,” he explained.
Eunsu Kim, a senior from South Korea majoring in visual arts and the costume manager, said historically, only nobles could wear “gat,” a black cylindrical hat. She continued, “Everyone will wear ‘hanbok’ (traditional Korean clothing)” except the three dancers featured in the second part of the dance performing as Huntrix, the main characters from the movie.
Jihyun Park, a sophomore from South Korea majoring in hospitality and tourism management and the choreographer, said she wants the audience to feel uplifted by their performance. She said “Golden” is a you-can-do-it song. “That’s why I think everybody loved it.” She also said the message of their performance is a reminder for everyone to embrace their identity as children of God and that doing so will help them overcome the adversary.
Kang said their goal is to make the audience experience Korea “as it is, aside from what’s already famous.” He said their performance is an invitation for everyone to embrace their culture.
