Turning poetry into song
Arts Council Korea has announced the lineup of the 17th ARKO Selection, a series of performances to be held this month, mostly in the popular theater district of Daehak-ro.
Among the highlights is "Namdo Sori Recites Poetry: Why Did My Love Fall Silent?," set to run from Friday to Sunday.
This performance weaves together the distinctive melodies and rhythms of Namdo folk music with seven modern poems, including Han Yong-un's iconic "Love's Silence" (1926).
Seven pansori singers, including star performers Kim Jun-su, Yu Tae-pyung-yang and Kim Su-in from the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, will bring poetry to life through music, offering a fresh interpretation of works by renowned poets such as Yun Dong-ju, Kim Su-young, Kim Yeong-rang, Jeong Ji-yong and Kim So-wol.
According to director Ji Gi-hak, one of the defining aspects of the performance is its challenge to a long-standing convention: Traditionally, male pansori singers do not perform folk songs. The custom stems from the idea that the vocal techniques required for the two genres are so different that attempting both could strain or damage the voice.
Aging as central theme
Coincidentally, this batch of ARKO Selection features three productions that revolve around aging -- a dance performance and two original musicals.
Now that Korea has become a superaged society, with those aged 65 and older making up more than 20 percent of the total population as of December 2024, these productions offer timely reflections on growing old.
In the contemporary dance piece "Roman," performed by 5 Thoughts Go and choreographed by Moon Sung-lyun, the aspirations of old age intersect with the unavoidable realities of aging. Notably, the cast includes professional dancers as well as five senior citizen performers aged 71 to 82. Through movement and dance, the production explores how individuals rediscover long-lost dreams in their twilight years.
Musical theater company Ozingo's "Chun-ja in Wonderland," directed by Oh Mi-young, presents a whimsical, genre-blending tale about Chun-ja, a 70-year-old woman with dementia. When a soul fish -- a fragment of her consciousness -- slips away from her deteriorating mind, she embarks on a fantastical adventure. Chun-ja's surreal journey intersects with her family's comedic search for her.
Contents group Live's "Horrifically Funny Women," directed by Oh Kyung-taek, a stage adaptation of the documentary "Chilgok Girls" and the essay collection "Looking Old, but Still Horrifically Funny," tells the inspiring story of elderly women who, denied education as youngsters due to poverty and their gender, finally get a chance to go to school. It captures their joy and newfound sense of wonder as they navigate a world once closed to them.
Other productions include the contemporary dance piece "Gravity," which explores the concept of gravitational force, and the play "The Mermaid of the Reservoir," which delves into themes of existential angst, loneliness and the anxieties of today's youth.
Organized by Arts Council Korea, ARKO Selection has long served as a platform supporting innovative and thought-provoking new works in the performing arts.
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