Korean Festival

A performance of a fan dance (buchaechum )

One of the nice things about being on the east coast is the amount of cultural diversity. Lady Chatterly is convinced, not matter how many times I tell her otherwise, that any person speaking a language other than English must be speaking Spanish. She thinks that "hola" is her golden ticket to instant connection and friendship. The Delaware Art Museum held this lovely Korean Harvest Celebration. We got to hear music, watch dancing, and there were plenty of crafts.

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The instrument above is called a gayageum, and it sounds a little bit like a harp or zither. The strings are depressed and plucked to produce sound. Our artist played both traditional songs and modern music.

Drums also featured prominently in several of the dances, and they provided the backdrop for the stage as well. In the first picture, a woman is performing a folk dance with the drum.

In the Samgo-Mu, another Korean drum dance, two or more women play the drums simultaneously while synchronizing their movements. Watching them bend, twirl, leap and step while keeping impeccable rhythm is truly awe inspiring.

Hover mouse over pictures for captions.

The program ended with an all Korean dance troupe from University of Delaware who performed hip hop.

There were all kinds of crafts for the children attending the event. Lady Chatterly painted a mask, decorated a fan, did some origami and even had her name written in Korean characters. And believe it or not, that wasn't even all that the festival had to offer. We missed the food, cultural area and another performance of fighting styles. This was an excellent last minute decision!

At the Delaware Art Museum

Lady Chatterly painting a mask with glitter paint.