 (DIMF) began in 2006 with the aim of cementing the city of Daegu’s place in the the arts world as a creative force in South Korea. Each year the festival presents invitational musicals as well as local performances The main performances will be augmented by side events that include a Fringe Festival and academic conferences. In addition, the Daegu Musical Awards will be held, with awards being given in eight categories. This competition will provide the opportunity for college students to display their talents.  The Chuncheon International Mime Festival (CIMF) is an annual performing arts festival focusing on contemporary mime, physical, movement, object and visual theatre, street theatre, installation performance, and site-specific performance. The CIMF is a unique Asian contemporary visual theatre festival, in which the artists utilize physical expressions and gestures as well as show new and experimental performances. The CIMF started out as the first Korea Mime Festival in 1989, and has developed into an international festival. Many mime groups from Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, the Netherlands, the U.S.A. and Korea have participated in the CIMF since 1994. The CIMF, which will present its 18th festival in 2006, has been recognized as an Excellent Culture and Tour Festival, and honored as one of the best Korean Festivals for 6 years in a row since 2001 by the The CIMF is the headquarters of the Asia Mime Federation founded in 2002, which is a network organization for Asian mime and related artists to develop Asian mime, to exchange artistic information between Asian countries, and to promote Asian traditional movement. The CIMF is a full member of Association of Asian Performing Arts Festivals which aims to foster understanding, exchange and co-operation among Asian festivals within the fields of artistic direction, marketing, touring and operational and administrative planning.  ASAF is not only the most beloved event in the region but also one of the fastest growing festivals in the country. The city of Ansan is 30km from Seoul, with a population of about 700,000. All the performances are held in the street and open-air theatre. The festival’s aim is to develop street arts in Korea, by promoting cultural exchange between countries, and audience relations.  The Gwacheon Hanmadang Festival offering a slew of international performance arts and open-air theatre. The Festival has grown into the best cultural event symbolizing the city of Gwacheon. Starting in 1997 as the Gyeonggi-Gwacheon World Open-air Theatre Festival, he event has already become the new paradigm for performance art festivals that each year introduces new types of stage acts and high-quality open-air productions from both home and abroad. The Festival also allows Gwacheon to pursue greater international cultural exchange and build its image as a city of cultural and artistic creativity.An event of variety where "open-type" performances of East and West join forces, the Festival is especially renowned for its line-up of well-made programs. Gwacheon strives to promote the Festival into a culture and arts model that seamlessly mixes the natural and urban life.  The annual performing arts festival takes place at the Busan Cultural Center and other venues in Busan. The theme of each edition determines the focus of the festival — that combines music, singing, spoken word, and dance. Twenty productions from eight countries. The abundant cultural heritage of Andong is attributed to the worth-oriented philosophy of the Andong people who have coped with numerous social changes and positively adapted to new cultural traditions. Hence, various elements of Oriental culture have flowed into Andong and been re-synthesized into the distinctive Andong way of life and culture. These socio-cultural, historical and religious heritages are the basis of the Maskdance Festival. We can learn quiet composure and mindfulness through understanding the significance of traditions through the excitement of the Mask dance. The Mask dance Festival is conscientious of our local heritage and the importance of sharing it with others. The Andong area has a variety of socio-historical and religious heritages from different periods, from ancient times to the present. Andong holds the largest number of cultural properties in Korea. It reveals a very vivid picture of the aesthetics and traditions of the Orient. We can find not only tangible cultural and historical heritages like ancient villages, but also many intangible cultural properties of the Andong tradition such as Cha-Jeon-Nori (demonstration of Battle game, involving hundreds of men working together), Not-Dari-Balgi (a female play), Traditional wedding, and Haeng-Sang-Sori (demonstration of funeral ceremony). These plays are an amazing spectacle and a really unique experience to be had at the festival. The annual Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival features contemporary theatre performances and discussions about contemporary issues. It offers a place for reflection and exploration within the context of the performing arts. The aim is move beyond any boundaries and to seek a new vision each edition based on an established theme. The festival serves as an experimental laboratory for national artists. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seoul-Marginal-Theatre-Festival/129233320429543 The Seoul Fringe Festival, the most representative independent arts festival of Korea, will be held for its 14th year this year (2011) in the Hongdae area. The festival aims at presenting and supporting the indie culture of Hongdae that is in danger due to the rapid commercialization of the district. The festival showcases various artists and their works, exposing guests of all ages to new forms of cultural arts that are difficult to encounter during daily life in Hongdae. The 3 key components of the Seoul Fringe Festival are the artists, audience, and venue. The highly-supported BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) system encourages artists to personally seek sites that compliment their works or performances, providing the audience with the opportunity to observe art in a new light. During the festival, cafes, clubs, and galleries in the Hongdae area will serve as a dynamic site for artists of varying fields to gather and experiment new methods of expressing their art. http://www.seoulfringe.net/ The Annual Suwon Hwaseong Fortress International Theater Festival is held in Suwon and accommodates diverse performances of theatre, dance, and other stage art genres including Rumania’s National Theater of Bucharest, Poland’s Theater Cogitatur, England’s juggling team Gandini, Czech Republic’s Continuo, Ireland’s Pan Pan Troupe, and Japan’s Pappa Tarahumara. http://www.suwontheatre.or.kr/ The first festival was held in 2002 and seeks to introduce music theaters from Korea and abroad to the existing music theatre market which has been limited to musicals and operas. As well as presenting music theatres, it aims to define the future direction of Korean music theatre by offering a wide choice such as in-door and out-door theatres, street performances, fringe events, exhibitions, and additional programs. http://www.umtf.or.kr/ The Seoul Performing Arts Festival, which takes place every fall in Seoul’s major performance spaces, is hosted by the HanPAC. It is mainly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The festival is considered to be one of the leading performing arts festivals in the country. SPAF aims towards becoming the hub of performing arts in Asia by featuring outstanding works from both local and international artists in all genres including theater, dance, musicals, and multi-genre art. Furthermore, the Festival hopes to become an internationally leading example for contemporary performing arts and to further enhance Korea and Seoul’s global image by uniting the nation’s economic influence with its cultural strength. http://www.spaf.or.kr/ |
AsiaDocs
