Cocktail of Black Music and Boots Dance

A music performance with a passion of the black of South Africa, ‘Gumboots’ firstly will be presented in Korea. This performance will be presented from August 14 to August 18 in LG Art Center, Seoul.

This performance contains a sad story of the black miners who work in a goldmine of the South Africa in the nineteen-century when Apartheid was severe. Under the control of the white man who owns the goldmine, the black couldn’t talk each other and their labor was exploited. The black miners expressed a merry mood through simple gestures in a poor environment by tapping a shovel and stamping their feet.

Forming the gestures artistically, this performance is started singing a hymn of praise to the former president of the South Africa, Nelson Mandela as giving an honor and disgrace of the black. 10 black miners play a keyboard and drum in a hard labor and sing traditional songs of the Africa. When the performance comes to the peak, the performers stamp their feet in waters on the floor wearing the boots, and express the unique passions of the black joyfully. The gestures of the black are evaluated as ‘it sublimates a bitter feeling into art’. This performance receives the positive response from the Korean audiences because this performance and the Korean music have the common denominator.

This performance team was on the round in Australia and Canada after starting in Belgium in 1993. It received a favorable criticism by participating in the Edinburgh festival, England in 1999. ‘The Times’ of England praised it ‘Cocktail show of the music dance”.

Won Jong-won, the musical columnist said “The passionate music and rhythm of the black has the attraction that arouses the audiences’ enthusiasm regardless of a color of skin. The audiences can feel performance of excitement with only small tools separated from the existing magnificent musical.”

The performance is presented at 8 P.M every day and at 3 P.M. and 7 P.M. in a weekend and holiday. The ticket price is ranged from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. The contact number is 02-2005-0114 and 02-1588-7890.

Tae-Hun Hwang beetlez@donga.com