Magic, music and dance! A Christmas weekend planner

Smile & Happy Christmas Concert
The punk rock group Crying Nut will help you dance away a year’s worth of stress, and give a sneak preview of songs from their next album at an 8 p.m. concert tonight in the weight lifting gymnasium at Olympic Park in southern Seoul. Tickets cost 44,000 won ($43) or 55,000 won. For more information, call (02) 515-8250, or visit www.ticketlink.co.kr.

Jazz Christmas!
Jazz pianist Ronn Branton will spend his Christmas with Korean fans for the fifth straight year. Branton will perform along with the U.S.-based saxophonist Klae, bassist Han Hyun-woo, and drummer Lee Chang-hoon. “Jazz Christmas!” will be performed on Dec. 24 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The program includes “Jingle Bells,” “Rainbow,” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Ticket prices vary from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 888-2698 or 019-9349-0650 (English service) or visit ticket.interpark.com.
Love is Magic
If you want a White Christmas this year, watch “Love is Magic” and pray that some magic will bring snow to Seoul or the theater. The production company is promoting the show as “a magical,” or a magic show cum musical. The story is simple: a magician from a poor area falls in love with an uptown girl. But the performance is surprising because it incorporates a real magic show and good singers. It runs through Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Performance Arts Center of Dongduk Women’s University in Daehangno. There will be an additional 11 p.m. show tomorrow and an additional 2 p.m. show on Sunday. Ticket prices vary from 55,000 won to 99,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555 or visit ticket.interpark.com.

Magic Concert
The young and promising magician Choi Hyun-wu gives a two-hour magic show featuring audience participation. Choi also uses the whole hall as his stage. The show runs through Dec. 27 at Konkuk University’s New Millennium Hall at 7:30 p.m. weekdays, and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. There will be an additional show at 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost 55,000 won or 77,000 won. For more information, call 1588-7890, or visit www.ticketlink.co.kr.

Yuki Kuramoto
Japanese new age musician Yuki Kuramoto is staging a concert at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve at Seoul Arts Center. A piano solo by Kuramoto earned the hearts of Koreans when it was used on a local T.V. drama. The concert features a mix of carols and jazz. Tickets start from 30,000 won. For more information call 02-598-8277.

Sweet Box Concert ― Sweet Christmas
More commonly known as Jade, the singer for the pop group Sweetbox made her name mostly in Europe with songs like “Life is Cool” and “Don’t Push Me” which mixed hip hop with classical music. Her concert takes place at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve at Jamsil Sports complex, featuring some of her best hits and Christmas favorites. Tickets start from 55,000 won. Call 1588-9088.

Na Yoon-sun Quintet and Cinema Concert
Korean queen of jazz, Na Yoon-sun mixes romantic movie soundtracks with jazz. The concerts will be held at a theater inside the National Museum of Korean Art at Yongsan. Shows are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 and 11 p.m and Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets cost 50,000 and 60,000 won. For more information, please call 1544-5955.

Di Dance Festival 2005
Modern dance works melded with videos by a team of artists, filmmakers and choreographers. The images include works by Peter Greeway, the director of “Cook, the Thief, His Wife” and a multi media artist Lylod Newson. There will be an “interactive relay party” as part of the show in which dancers give impromptu performances with video images by Korean artists. The festival starts Monday, running through Dec. 30. For more information, call (02) 3216-1185.

by Park Soo-mee, Park Sung-ha