IU Korean Night offers a variety of performances

Indiana University’s 2017 Korean Night at the Wilkie Auditorium started at 2:00 P.M. and ended at 7:30 P.M. Cultural activities started the night but the opening ceremony, food, and performances shortly followed.

By 4 o’clock, the booths had been taken down, and people sat in the seats in front of the stage for the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony began with a performance by the Samulnori Team at IU. Dr. Hye-Seung “Theresa” Kang made her opening remarks, and Professor Sara Friedman welcomed everyone to Korean Night. David Zaret, the vice president for International Affairs, and Consul Changwon Jung, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago, gave their congratulatory messages. There were issues with the microphone stand, but everything went smoothly afterwards.

From the Jacobs School of Music, Juyeon Yoo and Euna Kim performed “Arirang.” To end the opening ceremony, a certificate of appreciation for Korea was presented.

SoriBeat, a youth pungmul ensemble and winner of the 2014 International Korean Traditional Performing Arts Competition in Chicago, gave a mesmerizing performance that was split into three parts. The last part of the performance was especially remarkable with the headdresses and highlights on particular instruments.

Then there was a break for dinner. There were four different lines of free Korean food. Some of the food on the tables were rice, bulgogi, and kimchi. After twenty minutes, the community performances began.

There was the Breakdance Club at IU, which was established this year, and Elephant Rebellion, artists and activists who aim to help communities through the arts and education. Elephant Rebellion presented a sijo-hiphop fusion rap.

Three different groups of martial arts performed at the 2017 Korean Night. The Korean School of Bloomington’s Tae Kwon Do Master Kim Youngseup and his students presented their tae kwon do skills and dances to “Y.M.C.A.” while adding in tae kwon do. The IU Tae Kwon Do Club was a part of the IU Martial Arts Program since 1969 and presented their tae kwon do abilities. The IU Hapkido/Self Defense Club, which is dedicated to both self-defense and hapkido and showed off their skills.

A string quartet from the Jacobs School of Music performed student composer Ari Barack Fisher’s arrangement of “Springtime in My Hometown.” Also, Gayageum Master Eunsun Jung and three amateur players performed a medley of traditional Korean folk songs.

There were three different sets of K-pop performances. The KCC Dance Crew danced to K-pop songs that received much interest in Korea. The KCC promotes the Korean language and culture. Devil Force, the first official Asian dance club at IU, performed two recent and energetic K-pop songs. Members of the IU Korean Students Association danced to “TT” by Twice. KSA is an organization for Korean students at IU.

The night ended with DJ Night and K-vengers. The DJ was Jaehyun Im, the Korean Language Assistant Instructor. This was a dance break for anyone and everyone willing to get onstage and dance to the music.

The IU Institute for Korean Studies; Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs; IU Korean Students Association; IU Korean Conversation Club; the Sejong Multicultural Society; and Starbucks sponsored this year’s Korean Night.