Arts and Culture

The weekend is already over and its Monday once again, which means our arts and culture reporter Michelle Kim is back with us to give us the latest update on the arts and cultural events.
Hello Michelle.
How was your weekend

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[Reporter : Michelle Kim] Hello Conn-young. Well, it was my friend's birthday on Saturday so I had a great time celebrating with my friends. How was your weekend. Well, I had a very relaxing weekend,
So, what do you have for us today

[Reporter : ] Well I have a very interesting exhibition on ancient stoneware that may grab your interest. Take a look.

Potteries were the first kind of dish ever made by humans.

The Ceramics Gallery at the Horim Museum has made it possible for the public to learn about our ancestors' lives.

The stoneware made during the fifth century Three Kingdom Period shows an agile warrior riding a short, thick-legged horse.

The horse's stomach acts as a pot, where one can pour water or alcohol.

A duck's slouched back and the concave keel of a boat - are some of the pieces displayed at this exhibition. Pottery produced during this same period was used to signify the dead being guided to the afterlife.

[Interview : Lee Won-Kwang, Art and Science Team Leader Horim Art Center] "Ceramics are the first form of dish made by mankind and they were made from mud. Mud is easily accessible to everyone, which made it easy for people to convey their thoughts and lifestyle into their pottery".

Because pottery is malleable and molded repeatedly, the change of aesthetic consciousness and the production techniques over the years can be easily seen as well.

[Interview : Lee Won-Kwang, Art and Science Team Leader Horim Art Center] "People didn't use the kiln during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. It was the Proto-Three Kingdoms period where people began to use kilns, and after the Three Kingdoms period the kiln was heated up to 1000 degrees Celsius. This made it possible for the pottery to become hardened and not to absorb water".

The 200 potteries shown at the exhibition, dating back from 1st century BC up to the unified Silla period portray the simple and inspired lives of our ancestors.

[Reporter : ed:jack] The Ceramics exhibition will be showing at the Horim Museum until September 28th.

It's interesting how an object that is so commonplace in our daily lives can have such a history to it. I find it especially fascinating that using such a simple material like mud enabled people to express their thoughts in artwork.

[Reporter : ] Yes. It's sometimes hard to realize how things we see in our daily lives can carry such meaning. I mean, I had absolutely no idea that pottery can signify the dead being guided to the after life.

It's always fascinating to learn how our ancestors portrayed their lives with different materials and objects. And moving on, you have more events for us

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[Reporter : ] This event shows how people can use their bodies to convey emotions and thoughts. Here are the details.

It's April and springtime is back with three ballet performances with varying themes being presented this month.

The fairy tale, "Sleeping Beauty" is the subject of a ballet performance, with a mix of high-quality dance, music, and stage art.

Set to 's music, the glamorous costumes and the stage decorations add to the dancers' elegant and disciplined performance to create an absolute beautiful example of classic ballet.

"Sleeping Beauty" is one of the 3 most influential ballet performances Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa left behind.

The Korean National Ballet Company shows the life of gladiator Spartacus who died while leading a rebellion during the ancient Roman Period in the ballet "Spartacus", which was composed by Aram Khachaturian.

This is the second time this ballet has been performed in Korea, after it became the talk of the town in 2001.

The aggressive performance of the ballerinas is quite different from that normally seen with female dancers in classic ballets since they represent rebel fighters battling the Romans.

The ballet "Being", choreographed by James Jeon, shows the conflict, agony and liberty of youth as it tries to break the stereotypes of classic ballet. With dancers flying across the stages or on roller blades, the 3rd act shows the quintessence of modern ballet--popular appeal. The ballerinas perform to rock and hip-hop music since the ballet performances are mixed with modern dance..

Reporter : ed:jack] The Universal Ballet will be performing "Sleeping Beauty" from April 5th to the 8th at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center, "Spartacus"will be showing at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House from April 13th to the 15th, and the Seoul Ballet Theater will be performing "Being" from April 20th to the 22nd at Theater Hangang at the Gang Dong Arts Center.

With these various genres of just ballet alone, I think this will be a great opportunity for not just the ballet fans, but for people who are not familiar with ballet to be introduced to the world of ballet.

[Reporter : ] Exactly, it's really easy for people to just assume that classic ballet is the only genre of ballet out there, but just by looking at these three shows you can tell that ballet can be danced to rock and hip-hop, and can be not just elegant but also bold and aggressive.

Yes. I think especially the ballet "Being" will break many stereotypes of ballet being proper and elegant. And now you have the events bulletin for us

[Reporter : ] Yes I do. I have a musical, an exhibition, and a dance festival. Take a look.

[Reporter : ] The Events bulletin features 3 events

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The Naru Art Center will be showing the musical, "Kiss the Choon Hyang" until April 8th. The musical consists of traditional dance to the latest dance techniques as the actors portray the sad love story between two lovers.

The exhibition "Dialogue in the Dark "is an experience exhibition that is held in total darkness with only the tour guide leading the group around. This experience forces people to rely on other senses and each other.

The Dream and Vision Dance Festival 2012 will be held until April 12th at the Post Theater. The festival consists of 15 dance teams showing off their creative energy.

Thank you for your updates and we will see you tomorrow