Later on in the day the stage was highlighted by a guitarist and a killer solo a cappella vocal performance to end the festivities. I saw two of my second grade girls during the guitar performance. They brought me some bananas (one of everyone's favorite treats around here) and we got up on the docked Korean vessel and started showing off, shouting English words, jumping up and down and leaping off the boat. We caused such a stir that the photographers turned their attention to us instead of the stage.I guess a live performance showcase can only last so long before a bunch of energetic hooligans start stealing the show. Will be searching for pics of the Yangsu fest soon--hopefully our fooling around made it to some sort of web publication. Here's one of the dancers:
One of the things they do is a water performance, which consists of one of the robed dancers eloquently splashing around in the river water. It reminded me of a mermaid folktale, but with a Korean twist. Water is pretty culturally important I gather--it is one of the elements symbolized on the national flag and the source of much of the food.
Most cultural symbols are imbibed visually and sonically (just think how big of a role movies and music play today). Some major cultural identifiers in the past are natural geography, performance rituals, and festive dinners. How much does eating a culture's food make you think, feel, and learn about that culture I wonder? This would be a great space to insert a video of some moving tentacles.* * *
Back to school: these are my kindergardeners. They may not eat octopus but they looovvveee birthday parties!
Back home again: This is where the rivers meet before diverting at Yangsu. The perk: cool breeze and natural beauty. The disadvantage: many mosquitoes!
