SeoulArts invites international artists to perform with students

K-campus

Published: 01 Jun. 2023, 17:17 Updated: 02 Jun. 2023, 11:18

SeoulArts invites international artists to perform with students

Lutgardo Luza Labad, Benicio D. Sokkong and Jallaludin M. Casnor perform at Seoul Institute of the Arts. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

Seoul Institute of the Arts (SeoulArts) students came together with international artists to showcase traditional dances and music during the Intercultural Art Lab event on Wednesday.

The event, titled "Crash: Fever Time," was held at the university's Ansan Campus in Gyeonggi and invited eight artists from countries such as the United States, India, the Philippines and Pakistan to perform traditional songs and dances of their cultures.

The event comes as part of its efforts to host more global events and attract international students to the school.

It is also a part of the school's Artist in Residence program, which was created in line with the goals of Yoo Duk-hyung, honorary chair and founder of the institute, to make the campus more global.

Rakesh Sai Babu and Priya Srinivasan from India performed traditional Indian dances to traditional Korean music, with SeoulArts students singing the songs and playing instruments such as the janggu, the hourglass-shaped drum, and kkwaenggwari, a small gong.

"We started the Artist in Residence event in the context of [the new university] president's vision to globalize our campus," Jun Oh, a professor who leads the university's industry cooperation team, said. "It's not just about artists coming here and showcasing their works of art, but also about our students taking that in and combining it with their own art."

"A lot of our students majoring in applied arts participated in the performances, and we hope this experience can be a source of inspiration when they create their own art."

Lutgardo Luza Labad, Benicio D. Sokkong and Jallaludin M. Casnor performed the song "Inawi at Pusaka." SeoulArts students enriched the sounds by playing traditional instruments such as kkwaenggwari and jing, a larger gong.

Maureen Fleming and Christopher Odo from the United States presented "Yantra," a stage performance that combined traditional Korean music with electronic music.

Performances weren't limited to the stage. Students doing samulnori, or Korean traditional percussion music, rhythmically walked on the campus roads and up to Mount Gwangdeok, which surrounds the school. Performers invited to the school also followed, dancing among the students who were playing the instruments.

Students and international artists dance together at Mount Gwangdeok, which surrounds the school. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

SeoulArts plans to host more of these events in the future, inviting artists from even more countries.

"We are also contacting artists who perform traditional African music," Yoo Tay-guhn, president of SeoulArts, said. "A lot of people are interested in Western music, but the history of human culture started in Africa."

"We're also looking into Indonesian artists since their traditional music also has deep historical roots."

Despite being a festival organized and held at a university, students weren't the only visitors. Residents living nearby came with children, also looking around and enjoying the performances.

Apart from the music and dance performances, visitors eager to try various international foods formed long lines despite the hot summer weather. Three food trucks were parked near the stage area, selling vindaloo curry and turkey shawarma.

"I was really curious about what performances by foreign artists were prepared, and I enjoyed the food available at the various food trucks too," Mriasova Renata, a SeoulArts student, said.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]