KPAC

Donghaean byeolsingut, Korean Intangible Cultural Asset No. 82-1, is a shamanic ritual that prays for a village’s peace and prosperity. It is an extensive ritual with multiple stages that starts with the purification of the site, proceeds with the invocation of the gods, and concludes with the actual shamanic ritual, which involves music, dance, and theatrical performances and can last up to two days. In particular, the percussion music of the ritual is very complex, involving large rhythmic cycles with mixed meters. Jungjin Son, a government-designated Transmission Teacher of this ritual, is a noted expert in this field. As a Korean music organization that focuses largely on pungmul (folk drumming) performance, our repertory can sometimes feel limited and repetitive. We want to enlist Jungjin Son to hold an intensive, week-long workshop for 6-8 of our resident artists, and finally, to perform an open ritual here in Chicago to pray for the peace and prosperity of our own community.