The East-West CenterArts Program presents

Installation: Michael Schuster and Lynne NajitaFeaturedArtists:Ohwhan Cho, Mikyong Go, Chan E. Park, Kathy Foley

Exhibition: September 30, 2012 – January 6, 2013East-West Center Gallery, Honolulu, Hawai‘i

KOREAN MASKS, MUSIC, & SOCIAL CONCERNSGuest Curator: Kathy FoleyPhotos: CedarBough Saeji

Dancing the Spirit:

Korean mask dance drama takesvarious forms and names (talchum,sandae noli, ogwangdae, talnori,yayu) in different parts of the Koreanpeninsula, but the characters and theperformance patterns recur in comicscenes that play at festivals and inopen-air markets.

These styles have roots in earlyshamanism and Buddhism, but weremolded, as we know them today,by the low-status entertainers in theJoseon Dynasty (1392–1910) andwere battered during Japanesecolonial rule (1910–1945) and theKoreanWar (1950–53). The formsonly emerged as protected national

“intangible cultural properties” fromthe 1960s. In the 1970s–1980s theseforms were revitalized as studentstook up the masks, drums, dancesand the biting political satire of thegenre into the democracy movementin political protests and guerillatheatre (madang geuk, open airtheatre).

THE OLDMONK, NOJANG, FROMYANGJU BYEOLSANDAE SITS BETWEENTWO SOMUATANDONG INTERNATIONALMASK DANCE FESTIVAL, ANDONG, 2010

and shaman practices of the ThreeKingdoms and Goryeo periods, but weredemoted in the Yi dynasty (1392-1910)when officials were more likely tomerely tolerate them as parts of NewYear’s exorcisms or harvest rites.

The festival feeling, open referencesto sex, and satire of the Confucianhierarchy were considered low class.Performers were initially itinerantslinked to shamanism, prostitution, anddisorder. However these entertainers’stages were routinely set up to amuseenvoys from China or bring energy tofestivals or exorcisms, events thatharked back to the older order.Whenprofessional namsadang entertainersweren’t reliably available, local farmersand minor officials took up the art andemulated the skits and donned themasks themselves. Fun, satire, lettingoff steam, and usually a bit of exorcismmade mask dance drama a popularentertainment. Distorted visages,pox marks and harelips were probablypresented in masks to avoid themin real life. Traditionally, after mostperformances finished, the maskswere burned.

HistoryOutdoor performances by youngBuddhists in martial training are saidto be the root of namsadang (“flowerboys”) arts, which include acrobatics,mask dance, puppetry, tightropewalking, and pungmul drumming doneby an all male troupe. These arts mayhave had higher status in the Buddhist

“Uri-geot” (our things)—a rejectionofWestern models—became the cry.Mask dance drama’s bright energy,pungmul percussion, and improvisedhumor that talked back to power, fitthose times. Playwrights borrowedaspects in new works from the 1980sand scholars delved into the forms’history. By the 21st century masksbecame a regular part of touristcampaigns, TV commercials, andinternational performance tours. The

bright masks and funnyepisodes camealive in song anddance, sayingwhat needsto be said.The imagesgive insightinto theaestheticsandconcernsof the“littleguy” andshare thevibrantspirit of

Korea—past and

present.

MEOKJUNGAND OMJUNG FROMYANGJU BYEOLSANDAEATANDONG INTERNATIONALMASK DANCE FESTIVAL, ANDONG, 2010

SOMU, FOREGROUND,AND THE OLDMONKNOJANG IN BONGSANTALCHUMATPUNGRYU THEATRE, SEOUL, 2011

A butcher may sell these old men bulltesticles as Yi dynasty Viagra. And theservants always outwit their masters.Monkeys and lions may dance throughthe scene.

An oldwoman findsthat herslackerhusbandhas taken upwith someoneelse and shecomplainsbitterly.Someonemay hit herand soon shedrops dead. A funeral rite may morphinto a shaman ritual to conclude theevent or perhaps the dead personawakens. The stories are timeless andremind us of Punch and Judy plots, butthe humor and commentary is aboutour times. Energetic dances, poundingdrums, and blessings at both thebeginning and end of the performanceare probably meant to banish illnessand to promise good luck.

Performers and audiences unite inpoking fun and celebrating the mystery

Episodic NarrativeMost of the performances preservedtoday were documented in the 1960s,and likely replicate forms of the late19th and early 20th century. Still, poetryfrom the 18th century describes scenessimilar to those performed today.A string of episodes, not necessarilyconnected, comprises most shows.Monks dances often represent the fourdirections, and sometimes form a kindof mandala, as in some Buddhistdances as far away as Bhutan andNepal. An old monk (Nojang) forgetshis vows and seduces a young woman(Somu). But the girl is stolen away by alusty young man (Chwibali) who shortlythereafter is abandoned by the lady andleft holding their bawling baby. An oldaristocrat (Yangban) and scholar(Seonbi) may try to show off theirConfucian learning, but both are reallydriven by greed and desire.

of living. As the annual SeptemberAndong mask dance festival warnsviewers, all boundaries are permeable—a dancer may invade the audienceand the viewer is part of the event too.Mask dance drama is the collectivework of those who are present.

Putting on the mask, a personenters into the archetype, lifts upone’s arms in dance, and moves to thedrum. Figures who were born in oldfestivals and whomay represent the

seasons and theirchanges—the whitemask of Somu, thered face of Chwibali,the black face ofNojang)—or birth(Chwibali’s baby)and death (the oldwoman), appearthough whoever isliving/dancingnow.Maskscontinue to be

reworked bycontemporary artiststo fully live into theKorean future.

CHWIBALI HOLDSALOFTHIS SON IN BONGSANTALCHUMATPUNGRYU THEATRE, SEOUL, IN 2011

THE YANGBAN DANCESWITH BUNE,A CONCUBINE, IN HAHOI BYEOLSHINGUTTALNOLI ATANDONG INTERNATIONALMASK DANCE FESTIVAL,ANDONG, 2010

Special EventsAll in the EWC Gallery, admission free.

Sunday, September 30,2:00-3:30 p.m.Exhibition Gala Opening includingreception and performance byrenowned performers and scholarsKathy Foley and Chan Park. They willperform a unique fusion theatre piecebased upon Korean pansori (storytellingwith musical accompaniment) andpuppetry.

Sunday, October 7, 2:00-3:00 p.m.Korean Dance, including Chan Park,Jindo Island dances, and local danceperformers from the Halla Huhm Studio,under the direction of Mary Jo Freshley.

Sunday, October 14, 2:00 p.m.Korean Music, including mini-performances by locally basedmusicians.

Sunday, October 21, 2:00-4:00 p.m.Film: “The King and the Clown,” apopular Korean film about a 15thcentury king who falls in love with abeautiful male clown/acrobat.

Sunday, November 4, 2:00-3:00 p.m.Illustrated talk,“KoreanArt: anexcursion beyond masks, vases andpaintings.” Edward Shultz will presentmajor highlights of traditional Korea’s artworld, focusing on important artifactsfromSilla, Koryo, andChoson and howtheseworks provide insights in Korea’scultural development.

Sunday, November 11, 2:00-3:00 p.m.Illustrated talk “Keeping a TraditionAlive: Issues with Preservation andTransmission of Korean Mask DanceDramas”presented byKoreanmaskscholar and photographer CedarBoughSaeji.

Sunday, December 2, 2:00-3:00 p.m.Illustrated talk, “Moving Home:The Legacy of Halla Pai Huhm.”Filmmaker Billie Lee will discuss theKorean dance master/choreographer’swork in Hawai‘i and show excerpts fromher film.

Sunday, December 9, 2:00-4:00 p.m.Film: “Seopyeonje,” an artistic film thattells of a family of traditional Koreanpansori singers trying to make a living inthe modern world.

Sunday, January 6, 2013,2:00-3:00 p.m.Illustrated talk, “But is it ‘Korean’Dance?” Judy Van Zile, UHM professoremeritus, will speak about traditionaland contemporary dance in Korea.

Printed with soy based inks on recycled paper

The East-West Center promotes betterrelations and understanding among the peopleand nations of the United States,Asia, and thePacific through cooperative study, research, anddialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in1960, the Center serves as a resource forinformation and analysis on critical issues ofcommon concern, bringing people together toexchange views, build expertise, and developpolicy options. The Center is an independent,public, non-profit organization with fundingfrom the U.S. government, and additionalsupport provided by private agencies,individuals, foundations, corporations,and governments in the region.

The East-West Center Arts Programfor three decades has enriched the communitythrough concerts, lectures, symposia, andexhibitions focusing on traditional arts of theregion, and by arranging cultural and educationaltours by artists who are skilled in bridgingcultures. http://arts.EastWestCenter.org

EWC Arts Team: Karen Knudsen, director,External Affairs; William Feltz, arts programmanager; Michael Schuster, Ph.D., curator;Eric Chang, arts outreach coordinator,Yining Lin,arts assistant.

Guest Curator Kathy Foley wishes toacknowledge the invaluable assistance of ChanPark, CedarBough Saeji, Young-Oak Lee, PongsanTalchum (Intangible Cultural Property #17), andYangju Byeolsandae Nori (Intangible CulturalProperty #49).

Mahalo also to Mary Jo Freshley, Dr. RicardoTrimillos, Leilani Ng, Colorprints, Jason Li,SOEST,Tae Ja Koki, Christy Fujii, Moon Mi Soon,Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Brooks G. Bays, Jr.,Sara L. Pfannkuchi, The Anthropology Museum,Dr. Yong-Shik Lee, Derek Ferrar, ShayneHasegawa,Tina Tom, Roxanne Tunoa, DeannaO’Brien, Floren Elman-Singh, Lucy Kamealoha,Reynold Balintec, EWC Facilities Management,and Kennedy & Preiss Graphic Design.

Kathy Foley is a Professor of Theatre Artsat the University of California, Santa Cruz,where she is been Provost of Merrill and PorterColleges, and has taught at University ofHawai`i, Yonsei University, and ChulalongkornUniversity. She is author of the Southeast Asiasection of CAMBRIDGE GUIDE TOWORLDTHEATRE and editor of ASIAN THEATREJOURNAL; her articles have appeared in TDR,MODERN DRAMA,ASIAN THEATRE JOURNAL,PUPPETRY INTERNATIONAL and in otherjournals and books.

She trained in mask and puppetry in theSundanese region of Indonesia and was thefirst non-Indonesian invited to perform in theprestigious all Indonesia NationalWayangFestival (PEKANWAYANG). She performsfrequently in the U.S. and Indonesia and hascurated exhibitions of Puppets of South andSoutheast Asia and Masks of Southeast Asiafor Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta,Northern Illinois University, University ofPittsburgh, the National Geographic Gallery,and the East-West Center.

CedarBough T. Seiji, photographer andKorean Studies scholar, received her Ph.D.from UCLA, and M.A. fromYonsei University inSeoul. Focusing particularly on Korean maskdance, she has received numerous awards insupport of her research and photography, andhas experience performing a variety of Koreandance forms.

This exhibition was supported in part by theHalla Huhm Foundation and the University ofCalifornia—Santa Cruz (Porter College ExecutiveCommittee, Arts Research Institute, and AcademicSenate Committee on Research). EWC ArtsPrograms are made possible by the Hawai‘i PacificRim Society, Friends of Hawai‘i Charities, andgenerous contributors to the EWC Foundation,including members of the EWC Arts ‘Ohana.

THEMONKEYRIDING ON SOMU IN GANGNYEONGTALCHUMATANDONG INTERNATIONALMASK DANCE FESTIVAL,ANDONG, 2010

East-West Center GalleryHonolulu, Hawai‘iJohn A. Burns Hall, 1601 East-West Road(corner Dole St. & East-West Rd.)Gallery hours:Weekdays: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.Sundays: Noon-4:00 p.m.Closed Saturdays and holidaysFor further information: 944-7177arts@EastWestCenter.orghttp://arts.EastWestCenter.orgSchool & group tours available

Gallery visitors interested in joining theEWC Arts ‘Ohana can obtain the appropriateflyer in the gallery, by telephoning theEWC Foundation at 944-7105, or online:http://arts.EastWestCenter.org