A joint show of B-boy dance and modernized traditional Korean music and martial arts enthralled audiences in three Central Asian countries on June 1-12. Dubbed “Korean Rhapsody,” the touring performances in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia marked the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). They helped spread hallyu, the overseas craze for Korean pop culture, to Central Asia where cultural exchange with Korea has been relatively limited.

Enthusiastic Audience Response

The official opening event for the Korea Week in Kyrgyzstan, held on June 4 at the State Philharmonic Theatre, highlighted a performance of “Korean Rhapsody.” The 1,100-seat concert hall was filled to capacity, with another 200 people waiting outside to be admitted, attesting to the surging popularity of Korean pop culture in the Central Asian country. The audience included high-ranking government officials such as Deputy Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev. A similar level of enthusiasm was noticed in the other two countries, with some 1,000 people flocking to the 880-seat National Theatre in Tajikistan, and some 700 people arriving at the 620-seat venue in Armenia.

The local media gave broad coverage as well. Leading TV stations in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan filmed the performance on June 4 to air it on Channel 1 on June 11. Various news media, such as Vecherny Bishkek, Slovo Kirgistana, Kyrtag, K-News, and Khabar, extensively covered the Korea Week activities, commenting that the events would greatly contribute to bilateral relations with Korea and mutual understanding among the general public on both sides.

Workshops on Experiencing Korean Culture

On June 7, the Korean Embassy in Tajikistan hosted a performance of “Korean Rhapsody,” one of the largest Korean performing arts events ever presented in the country. Throughout the show that lasted over two hours, the audience responded enthusiastically as the performers demonstrated dazzling skills: The younger generation fervently applauded B-boying and beatboxing as well as taekwondo dance, expressing a high level of interest in Korean culture.

Project Korea and Seulgidoong, the two joint organizers of the touring performances, presented workshops for local university students so they could practice B-boying and beatboxing techniques and learn about traditional Korean musical instruments. They also presented a joint performance with a Tajik B-boy group as well as a folk arts troupe of the A. Juraev Tajik State Philharmonic Society, further adding significance to the diplomatic anniversary.

Rhythm & Body Movement: Another Communication Media

To celebrate the 20th diplomatic anniversary between Korea and the three CIS countries, the touring performances were jointly sponsored by the Korea Foundation, the Kyrgyz foreign ministry, the Tajik and Armenian ministries of culture, Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brusov, and the Korean embassies in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia (concurrently serving for Armenia).

The two performing groups were selected to present contemporary and innovative reinterpretations of Korea’s traditional music and dance to facilitate communication with the global audience.

“Korean Rhapsody” is an epic representation of Korean history and traditions for people of today’s society and world, with each component of the repertoire being crafted to express a variety of sub-themes. For encore presentation, the Korean artists performed local folk songs and dance in each country, thereby inviting the audiences to join in their performances and enjoy a special rapport.

The local media and experts poured out praise: “The melodies and body movements expressed Korea’s traditional and modern culture, but they were also universal in nature. The amazingly dynamic B-boy dance and martial arts performances were very impressive.”

Choi Kyung-hee Director of Public Relations, Project Korea