Propagating tradition, going beyond K-drama—what we can learn from Korea

Minutes before The Forest Music Band, Dung Dda Koong began at 3 p. on Aug. 18, 2024, Filipino folk songs wafted around CCP’s Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.  It was an apt prelude, I thought, to the children’s play to be staged by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) with the Namwon National Gugak Center (NNGC). It underscored KCC’s theme of cultural heritage for August in marking 75 years of friendship between the Philippines and Korea.

The stage was ready with The Forest Music Band’s (FMB) traditional Korean bow and plucked string instruments: gayageum, haegeum, ajaeng, and geomungo.

Earlier in the month, KCC held Sticks & Kicks: Phil-Kor National Sports Demonstration, an exhibition of Korean and Filipino martial arts. Korean Kukkiwon, aka World Taekwondo Headquarters, highlighted the power of taekwondo, while the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation demonstrated the calm precision of arnis, a Filipino martial art that uses sticks, knives, bladed weapons, or bare hands in combat. The event was completed with dance performances by Nara, KCC’s homegrown performance team, and the Philippine Baranggay Folk Dance Troupe.

Read more: https://www.thediarist.ph/propagating-tradition-going-beyond-k-drama-what-we-can-learn-from-korea/