Korean Popular Culture and Korean Wave Course 2017

Alleya Hanifa Thariane (22)

Reflection Paper
My name is Alleya Hanifa Thariane, an exchange student from University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia. The
reason why I take this course is related to why I come to Korea: because of Korean Wave. Korean Wave hit
Indonesia so hard and Im one of the people whos caught up in the wave. I think it is has been eight years since I
heard my first Korean pop song and Ive admired many great Korean musicians since then. Its not exaggerating
when I say that one third of the songs on my playlist are Korean songs. Finally, in Korea, I could experience another
kind of Korean music: the folk music.
On Saturday (3/11), over a hundred exchange students including me had the pleasure to enjoy Korean folk music
and dance performance at Gugakwon Center. This was my first time to watch a concert as a requirement of a
course. In fact, the concert was my first concert that I have ever attended. So, I am positive that this concert will
stay with me a long time. There were six performances that I watched. Some of them included vocal performances
and some were not. I was most interested in the performances which included vocal performances.
The concert opened by ensemble music performance called Namdo Gutgeori. I like this performance because it set
just the right atmosphere to start the concert. Namdo Gutgeori then followed by the Pansori performance which told
the story of two brothers Nolbo and Heungbo. Nolbo heard that Heungbo has become rich, so he visits his house
and sees a beautiful flower wadrobe filled with jewelry. On the performance description, Pansori is mentioned as
the most representative Korean folk vocal music. The Pansori was performed by one woman who did the story
telling, accompanied by one man by one man who played a musical instrument. Because of its story telling and
musical element, I was reminded of similar Indonesian traditional performance named Wayang. Rather than two
persons, a Wayang performance is carried out by a Dalang who acts as a leader and accompanied by a Gamelan
orchestra. In a Wayang performance, the Dalang tells a story in speaking voice and sometimes sings to engage the
audience.
Pansori then proceeded by the Ajaeng Trio performance. I didnt really pay much attention to this performance
because there was no any vocal performances involved. The Jeju Island folk songs performed by six ladies following
the trio performance then regained my attention. The songs were very upbeat and sung by very powerful voices. I
could feel my feet tapping on the floor following the rhythm. Because the master of ceremony mentioned that the
songs were sung by the Jeju women, be it diver or farmers, when they work, I couldnt help but imagining their lives.
They sung to forget the hardships and make the time goes faster. I live in the Java islands where patriarchy
traditions had strong influence. The Javanese women sung in a very gentle way, unlike Jeju women. They usually
called Sinden or Pesinden. Thus, the Jeju island performance with the dancing and upbeat songs was fresh air to
me.
The fifth performance was the Daegum Solo. I was fascinated by the sound that instrument produced, and again I
was reminded of similar traditional instrument from Indonesia named Suling. If Daegum is made from reed stem,
Suling is made of bamboo. A Suling perfomance is usually accompanied by kacapi, a Chinese zither () that
has been adapted in a certain way by the Sundanese. The Sundanese is second largest ethnic group in Indonesia
who populate the western part of Java island.
Finally, the concert was ended by Pangut performance. This was the only performance allowed to be recorded by
camera. I could not get my eyes off of the Pangut performance because it was very festive and lively. The group
composed of eight men playing music, dancing, and even doing acrobatics. But what really caught my attention in
the first place was the headpieces that each member wore. The leader was distinguished from the rest of the group
because he wore a different kind of headpiece made of some kind of feathers. The feathers moved in a very funny
kind of way. The rest of the group wore a headpiece with ribbons attachment, similar to the ribbon used by rhythmic
gymnasts. By paying attention to the headpiece, I came to realize that each member has to coordinate their body
parts in a certain way. They know how to move their heads the right way to make their headpiece attachments
move. What a performance to end the show.
Overall, the show was interesting and I got to know various kinds of Korean folk performances. It sure was the
highlight of the week.