Weekend in May at Seoul Nori Madang Flowing with the Charm of Gugak...

Songpa-gu to Host Traditional Korean Music Performances Showcasing Cultural Arts Every Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM in May
High-Quality Free Performances Including Authentic Gugak, Creative Yeonhui, Korean Dance, and Fusion Gugak Continue Until October

May is a great month for outings, and Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will hold free traditional cultural and artistic performances for the whole family every Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Seoul Nori Madang (124 Jamsil-ro).

Seoul Nori Madang, built in 1984, is the only traditional open-air theater in Seoul. It was extensively renovated in April this year and reborn as a state-of-the-art cultural and artistic facility. It was refurbished to fully enjoy the elegance and excitement of our ancestors, including the installation of the nation’s first outdoor hanging sound-absorbing panels, maintenance of elastic stage flooring, installation of LED electronic display boards, and improvement of spectator seats.

The district will hold regular traditional music performances here every weekend at 3 p.m. The program includes high-quality stages showcasing the essence of traditional cultural arts such as gugak (Korean traditional music), pansori, and Korean dance, as well as fusion gugak, creative yeonhui (traditional performance arts), and marketplace circus performances that lower the public’s barriers to tradition and reinterpret it in a modern way.

Despite heavy spring rain on the first weekend of May, Korean dance and gugak crossover performances were held for two days. Beautiful dance movements accompanied by gayageum and ajaeng performances and fusion gugak melodies mixing various genres satisfied the eyes and ears of the audience in the rain.

On the upcoming 11th, a creative gugak performance by the master of samulnori Kim Deok-su and Ensemble Sinawi will be held. In ‘Rabbit Story,’ a jazz-style reinterpretation of a scene from the pansori 'Sugungga,' audiences can feel the exquisite charm of gugak. The next day, ‘Yeonhui Group THE Gwangdae’ will welcome the audience with lively stages including samul pangut, lion play, and sangmo play.

On the third Saturday and Sunday, young master singers ‘Jurisori Kim Juri’ and the band ‘AUX,’ which combines rock and gugak, who ranked TOP 4 and 3 respectively on a gugak competition TV program, will perform. Based on proven popularity, they will offer gugak stages that are easy to enjoy while interacting with the audience.

On the last Saturday of May, the 25th, the 'Joseon Circus Sotdaejaengipaet' performance will recreate the Joseon-era marketplace ‘Nanjang.’ Starting with pungmul play and lion dance, audiences can expect a feast of acrobatics on poles such as sotdae climbing. Following that, on Sunday, the Songpa-gu branch of the Korean Gugak Association will invite audiences to a traditional madanggeuk (traditional open-air play) ‘Ppaengpajeon’ and a feast of folk songs.

The weekend regular performances will continue after May until October, with a break during the summer months of July and August. For more detailed information such as performance schedules, please check the district’s website or the official Seoul Nori Madang blog.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “The remodeling of Seoul Nori Madang has created a higher-level performance infrastructure,” and added, “We operate various performances every week to preserve and pass on tradition and to allow residents to enjoy cultural arts. We hope many people visit on weekend afternoons and enjoy the charm of traditional music.”

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