Filipinos & Koreans showcase cultures

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos and Koreans will showcase their love for each other’s cultures and arts at the “2015 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival” on Oct. 4, 6 p.m., at Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila.

Hosted by Korean Cultural Center (KCC) and the Embassy of Republic of Korea together with the United Korean Community Association in the Philippines (UKCA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the event features performances by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group and Korean performance team Uhee Nori. A Hanbok Fashion segment fused with the musical Chunhyang-jeon will also be showcased by K-Musical pupils of KCC.

The Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group has been one of Cultural Center of the Philippines’ leading resident companies since 1986 and has presented over a thousand traditional folk dance performances in the Philippines and abroad.

Uhee Nori is group of young and passionate performers of Korean classical music from the National High School of Traditional Arts. They are professional artists who try their best to streamline Korean traditional arts-and-play so that more people around the world could enjoy the Korean traditional performances.

K-Musical students of KCC will lead the Hanbok Fashion segment. They will perform the Korean musical Chunhyang-jeon. Chunhyang-jeon is based on a 17th century novel about a beautiful girl Chunhyang, and is one of the best-known traditional love stories of Korea. Hanbok Advancement Center, a government center in Korea with an aim of promoting the Korean traditional clothing, designed the Hanbok of the performers.

Capping off the event are performances from K-Pop idol group FameUs and Asha.

Apart from the performances, there will also be a speech contest, singing-and- dancing competition for both Korean and Filipino participants. Raffle prizes, Hanbok-wearing and Korean photo exhibition will also be available for the audience to enjoy.

The Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival is an annual event which aims to further enhance the bilateral relationship of Korea and the Philippines. Last year, the cultural exchange festival was held at the Aliw Theater. Molgae, a Korean traditional dance-and-percussion team, and the Bayanihan Dance Company, the national dance team of the Philippines, performed to appreciative Korean and Filipino audiences.

Admission is free and is on first come, first served basis. For information call the United Korean Community Association at 886-4848, 0920-923-8730, or the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711.