MANILA, Philippines - To culminate the year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Philippines-Korea Diplomatic Relations, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea will hold a cultural festival on Nov. 25 with a cocktail reception at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.
The event features traditional and modern cultural performances.
The opening will be graced by minister In-Chion Yu of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea; and executive secretary Eduardo Ermita.
Highlight of the event is a gala concert titled “Dance of Chun-Hyang” featuring the National Dance Company of Korea (NDCK). The NDCK acts as the cultural ambassador of the Republic of Korea. The dance group, which maintains and re-creates traditional Korean dance, has participated in international festivals such as the Olympic Games and the 2002 World Cup Soccer Tournament.
On Nov. 26, Noreum-Machi will stage a percussion performance known as Samulnori, a modernized stage adaptation of p’ungmul nori, which is a ritualistic celebration that originated from shamanism and animism. This ritual is performed by farmers and professional musicians during harvest festivals. Noreum-Machi’s presents percussion dialogues, shamanic chants, and acrobatic dances.
Kpop Concert caps the festival on Nov. 27 at 5 p.m. The concert will feature performances by famous Korean pop groups SHINee, Mighty Mouth and Winterplay.
SHINee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band who made their debut in 2008 with their hit song Replay.
Composed by Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin, the band has won music awards including Best Newcomer Artist in the 18th Seoul Music Awards.
Winterplay is a group that mixes several music genres like pop, jazz, blues and bossa nova to create a unique relaxed sound and is composed of vocalist Moon Hye-won, and her band Lee Joo-han (trumpet), Choi Woo-joon (guitar), and So Eun-kyu (contrabass).
Mighty Mouth is composed of rap duo 237 and Shorty j. known for collaborating with famous celebrities like Sun-Ye of Wondergirls and Yoon Eun-hye of Coffee Prince fame.
Admission is free. Tickets are available at the CCP.
Tickets for Kpop concert are directly distributed by Arirang TV and its partners in the Philippines.