'Naju Festival, Yeongsangang River Is Alive' Weekend Night Finale

‘2023 Naju Festival, Yeongsangang River is Alive’ The Naju Integrated Festival concludes its ten-day grand journey with abundant cultural and artistic performances on the last weekend of October.

This weekend, a series of cultural and artistic performances themed around the history of Naju from the Mahan and Goryeo periods through Joseon and modern times are scheduled.

According to Naju City on the 28th, from 4:30 PM at the Yeongsangang Riverside Sports Park festival main stage, the ‘Naju Students’ Anti-Japanese Movement Modern Dance’ performance will take place, followed by the traditional dance performance ‘Naju Mokgwanbu Dance’ at 6:30 PM.

The modern dance performance, themed ‘Naju, Memories of That Time,’ expresses the strong and poignant memories of the Naju Students’ Anti-Japanese Movement that began on October 30, 1929, at the old Naju Station, as a ‘body epic.’

The passionate aspirations of the Naju anti-Japanese student activists and the meaning of life they longed for are conveyed through the language of dance across three parts (Life - Breath - Fragrance) as a message of memory.

‘Traditional Dance and Performance, Naju Mokgwanbu Dance’ recreates the traditional dance performances by invited entertainers presented to foreign envoys or distinguished guests during festivals held at Naju Mok during the Joseon Dynasty.

The performance, consisting of seven pieces including ‘Intro - Chomu - Hwagwanmu - Seungjeonmu - Gu-eum Geommu - Naju’s Drum Sound - Closing,’ showcases the essence of traditional Korean music performances combining lion masks, pungmul, samhyeonyukgak, and dance.

On the festival’s closing day, the 29th, a modern dance performance ‘Naju City Dance Hall,’ an opera gala ‘Naju, Victory,’ and closing performances by the Naju City Choir and Gugak Orchestra are scheduled.

The modern dance performance starting at 2:30 PM on the 29th is designed as a stage wishing for the resurgence of Yeongsanpo, which prospered with the introduction of modern culture during the painful history of Japanese colonial rule.

It presents the vision of Yeongsanpo’s beautiful and vibrant regeneration by combining the stories of Yeongsanpo’s modern streets and architecture with newly transformed modern songs and dance.

The opera gala at 4:30 PM on the same day celebrates the successful festival closing, featuring invited Italian singers and Korea’s representative opera singers.

Popular opera pieces such as ‘Nessun Dorma,’ ‘Nella Fantasia,’ ‘This Is the Moment,’ ‘Ave Maria,’ and ‘Drinking Song’ will be sung together with citizens, concluding the joyful ten-day journey.

At 6:30 PM, the Naju City Choir and City Gugak Orchestra, leading citizens’ cultural enjoyment, will decorate the festival finale. After the performance, the Yeongsangang Fireworks Show, which was held for two days after the festival opening, will once again brilliantly light up the autumn night sky.

Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju, said, “I hope everyone spends the last weekend night of October, full of autumn romance, at the Naju Festival site,” and added, “The high-quality cultural and artistic performances presented over ten days will be accumulated and utilized as unique cultural content representing Naju.”

Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong bless4ya@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.