VIDEO: Festival showcases Korean culture in Okanagan

KELOWNA – A series of videos released by a local culture centre bring some of the sound, colour and spirit of Korea to the Okanagan.

The Okanagan Korean Culture and Knowledge Society put on two days of performances at Rotary Centre for the Arts and the Laurel Packinghouse last Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14.

The Madang Festival included food, martial arts, music and traditional dance in an effort to create unity through the celebration of difference.

The word Madang is Korean for "courtyard" and represents the part of a house used for discussion, celebration and fellowship for the family.

The first video shows a traditional Korean costume dance called Tal Chum.

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A more recent phenomenon in Korea is called KPop, where young people perform synchronized dances to a type of music popular in Korea.

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A fan dance was also performed to traditional Korean music by roughly a dozen performers; a dance which has evolved over hundreds of years.

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The festival also included demonstrations in the country’s very own martial art, Tae Kwon Do. Both men and women of various ages show their skills as they spar and break blocks of wood.

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For more information visit the Okanagan Korean Culture and Knowledge Society website or Facebook page.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.