New Hallyu, K-traditional culture that shook the American community
- Korean School of Southern New Jersey (“KSSNJ”), World Korean Traditional Music Competition Grand Prize
On June 25, 2022, the 20th World Korean Traditional Music Contest hosted by the Traditional Art Society of Korea (“TASK”) and sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center New York held 33 teams in the auditorium of Palisades Park High School in New Jersey. On this day, KSSNJ (Principal Chungsook Kim) won the grand prize for assorted drums (Modeumbuk), 1st place prize for Taepyeongmu, and the Special Leader Award for Kate Kim, the Korean Dance director of the KSSNJ K-Arts Company.
Amid the Hallyu (Korean pop culture) wave establishing its presence in the United States, traditional Korean percussion and dance performed by 27 KSSNJ K-Arts Company shook the hearts of Americans in New York, one of the world's cultural cities. A new Korean wave of K-traditional culture has permeated into American society.
KSSNJ K-Percussion Company, consisting of 16 members including graduates, performed traditional nongak rhythms such as Eotmori, Chilchae, Jajinmori, and Hwimori with the song 'Arirang'. KSSNJ’s K-Dance Company, consisting of 11 dancers with ages ranging from middle school to high school, wore elegant royal costumes and performed Taepyeongmu, a harmonious dance of peace with excitement, style, and grandeur.
KSSNJ established a Korean traditional performing arts program which started as a seven-member group in 2014, and has since grown to a fifty-member organization in eight years. Moreover, it is the first Korean school among the Korean school community, to compete with professional traditional arts academies in a Korean traditional performing arts contest, making their top awards that much more meaningful to the winners. KSSNJ provides education to 150 students from preschool to 12th grade on Korean language, Korean history, and Korean culture every Saturday to establish Korean identity for the Korean American youths. Of particular interest, around 70 middle and high school students are actively bearing the fruits of their education through magnificent cultural art performances, enlightening academic research, next-generation teachers, and unifying activities of KSSNJ’s student council. Following the favorable results of the competition, Kate Kim, KSSNJ’s Korean Dance director who received the Special Leader Award that day, said, "I feel that the skills, teamwork, and synergy of the school's traditional arts group have improved explosively through participation in this competition, and I will fulfill my responsibilities to more actively promote K-traditional culture in the American community."
Photo collection: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LgR780gZPgBTttuqt_TG8hD9fBCtex1I?usp=sharing
