On Friday, April 3, musical compositions of drums rhythmically shook Alumni Hall into beats of harmony and cultural bonding. The event titled, “Dynamic Asia: Drum Night,” was the finale of the Asian American Heritage Conference that spanned from March 30 to April 3. The event consisted of drum performances from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dancers and musicians from various groups located in Chicago.
The host for the event was emcee Won Jung Park, an anchor and producer for Channel 41, the Korean Broadcast Channel. A packed house filled with community members waited for the performances to begin. An important guest who attended the show was none other than Chicago’s Consulate General of the Republic of Korea, Sung Hwan Sohn.
As the event began, a display of colorful, elegantly designed drums called sam go mu (standing drums) were in place as young Korean girls from “Little OL Korea Art Theatre” marched into their designated drums. The girls were clothed in traditional Korean garments (han bok), brightening the already colorful scene. They performed “Dynamic Korea”, which not only consisted of drumming, but included dancing as well. The girls jumped, leaned back, and twirled as they hit the drums back and forth in a multitude of rhythms.
Other Korean performances included, “Sparkling Korea”, a so-go (small drum with handle) drumming and dance, as well as, “Fantastic Korea”, a jan-go (an hourglass shaped drum with two sides that produce different pitches) drumming and dancing to represent the harmony of man and woman.
In the Chinese performances, twins Sharlin and Sharon Lau, who are a part of the Chinese dance team, performed “Victory on Golden Mountain” with playful drama in elegant outfits while lightly drumming in between.
As seen in the previous performance in the “Asian Lion Dance and Variety Show,” another performance of the Lion Dance was given once more to exemplify their talents.
In addition, the Cheng Da Drum Team performed, “Pu Tian Tong Qing” and “Dao Qing” with an array of large drums in perfect unison. Their lively beats and intricate drumming brought energy and awe to the crowd.
The Japanese drumming performances consisted of three songs, “Hana Hachijo”, “Nagere Uchi ~ Kaiha” and “Sukeroku Matsuri”. The JASC Tsukasa Taiko drumming team utilized impressive drumming skills. As they pounded away at both standing and sitting drums, they shouted Japanese phrases to pump up their performance. There was also dancing while drumming to incorporate various rhythms throughout their songs.
All in all, it was a crowd-pleasing night with drumbeats that coalesced all three cultures together.
“I enjoyed this event very much, as this is a unique opportunity for Asian communities to combine their effort and showcase their folklore dance and music,” commented the Consulate General, Sung Hwan Sohn.
He also added, “I think these kinds of events bring out various communities to bring ourselves closer in our understandings of each other through the sharing of our cultures.” Sung Hwan Sohn said he looks forward to seeing more events like this in the future.
Director of NEIU’s Asian Programs and Korean language professor, Kyu Young Park, stated, “We focused on East Asian countries this year, but maybe next year we’ll focus on South Asian countries.”
“For the conference this year, we wanted to bring awareness of the politics, economics, and social influences of Asian countries, especially China, since they are an emerging world power; but for the finale, we wanted to bring out the performance arts of Asian culture,” said Park.
The event was a success and brought Asian communities together to share each other’s traditions and spirit of the past. Coalescence of culture brings together a bond between people with the beating of our drums and hearts.