Drummers perform Korean folk music
Posted On: Sunday, Apr. 19 2009 06:55 AM
By Jade Ortego
Killeen Daily HeraldThe award-winning Puripae Traditional Korean Performing Arts Company put on a free performance, "Night of Korean Drums," for a crowded auditorium at the Ellison High School auditorium Saturday night.
The Korean percussion group dressed in traditional garb and performed heart-pounding, interpreted, contemporary versions of Korean folk music on traditional instruments.
The acclaimed group was formed in April 1988, has performed in more than 70 countries and won seven international awards, including first place at the Beijing International Cultural Art Festival in China in 2000.
Puripae was introduced by Mayor Timothy Hancock.
"Killeen is a diverse community. The Korean community is a varied part of that culture and always has been. This is a different culture that we can all learn from," Hancock said. "We thank Puripae for traveling a very long way to perform for us. We wish them continued success in all future endeavors," he said.
Councilman Kenny Wells said that Killeen is fortunate to have diversity that adds to the overall fabric of the community.
After a short video about Korean culture, the performances began with a drum opening by the Killeen Korean Traditional Cultural Center.
The Korean Culture Center also performed the ghostly "Salpuri" dance by a woman in a traditional white Korean dress with a white scarf. The dance is traditionally used to free women from heartache, hatred and troubles of their past and transform them into power, beauty and joy.
The Puripae performances were varied but generally utilized a pulsating beat with intense rhythm flourishes. A performance using vivid red fans as percussion instruments and as props through dance was memorable.
As part of an international partnership with Osan, Korea, the Killeen Sister Cities Inc. brought Puripae to Killeen. It was funded by a grant from the city of Killeen's hotel/motel occupancy tax revenue fund with the support of the city of Killeen's Arts Commission.
The Killeen Sister Cities Inc. was created in 1993 to foster mutual understanding and peace through communication by cultural, social, educational and economic exchanges between people of the greater Killeen area and the people of similar cities of other nations.
The Killeen/Osan, Korea, sister-city relationship was established in the mid-1990s. Since then the Osan, Korea, sub-committee has sponsored 14 international festivals, numerous children's art contests, a student exchange program and a sports exchange program.