OREGON KOREAN PERFORMING ART
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Mission Statement
Oregon Korean Performing Arts is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring awareness and knowledge of Korean history, heritage and culture to America and to be a positive part of the diversified community.
About This Cause
OKPA became a non-profit organization in 2013, made up of several generations of Koreans who happily made home in America. While we have lived as valued members of America, we also wanted to keep our Korean Heritage and roots strong. Korean traditional dance is a big part of that a reality. Seung Hee Ji is our director/instructor of OKPA and we have been busy performing in many universities, Rose Festival and other places to bring awareness and understanding of our culture to Portland, Oregon and other states. Korea has 5000 years of history and most of our traditional Korean dances/drumming were originated in ancient shamanistic rituals thousands of years ago. due to cultural suppression by Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korean Peninsula (1910-1945), most dance academies died out and some dances were lost. Even during the Japanese occupation, a few pioneering Korean dancers such as Choi Seung-Hee created Korean dances and other performing arts based on traditional dances and kept many of the traditions alive in secret. Now for the last 70 years, traditional Korean dance is enjoying a vibrant resurgence. Korean high schools and universities in Korea teach Korean traditional dance/drumming. Also top performers are recognized as "Living National Treasures." and are charged to pass their dances down to their students. Our director/instructor, Ms. Seung-Hee Ji was trained under one of these Living National Treasure performer. Formerly traditional dances and dance styles restricted to royal audiences (the court) have become Korean classical dances. They are performed regularly in public. We can think of Korean dances in four tyes: court, folk, sacred, and modern. So OKPA members have focused on traditional court and folk dances and drumming. To explain the cultural meaning of several performances: Fan dance- this is one of the most popular traditional folk dances of Korea. This is a relatively modern dance developed in the 18th century. Apart from their colorful and decorative, fans are thought to expel evil and bring prosperity. Most dance moves depict a garden of flowers and butterflies. Gum Moo(Sword Dance)- a military dance that was handed down from the age of the Shilla Dynasty almost two thousand years ago. During the 15th century of the Chosun Dynasty, when it was performed in the King's palace, the militaristic function of the dance was changed to a more elegant and artful dance as it is today Hwagwanmu-this dance influenced by Confucianism, can be traced back to the 15the century. The dances were performed at banquets hosted by the royal families to honor dignitaries and diplomats, or for other important government functions. Their meaning is to pray for a full harvest during the year and peaceful times throughout the land. Our director and instructor, Ms. Ji also a choreographer. Under her guidance, we are all learners. We practice so many routines all through the year at least twice a week, but before performance we practice 3 to 4 times a week for longer hours for each session. All of us are leading a busy lives in the community, yet we also take time out to practice and practice to dance better for the goals for reaching out to the communities.