SaChoom

2015 KTO Adventure on August 11

What we are doing:

Watching the full performance of SaChoom! Yes, this was one of the showcases we saw at Korea in Motion. So excited to see it all!

Where we are going:

My old stomping ground: Jongro 3-ga. I used to take Korean classes at the YBM here, so I know the area well. 

How to get there: there are several buses that go here, but if you are coming from far away like me, take the subway. Jongro 3-ga has 3 connecting lines: orange (line 3), purple (line 5), and dark blue (line 1). Once you arrive go out exit 15 and walk straight. Take a pit stop at Gong Cha (I will allows admit when I hrab a bubble tea). Keep walking straight, pass YBM, walk until the corner of a busy intersection (Burger King is on the corner), turn left (don't cross the street). The theatre will be there, easy to see, there is a Coffee Bean on the first floor. Get your tickets at the outside ticket booth before going up to the theatre. 

What we are wearing:

It's been one hot hot summer here in Seoul. I recently returned to Shoopen to purchase another pair of these super comfy shoes, this time in pink. I would recommend wearing shorts this summer, though I rarely do. For this performance I opted for minimal: black tee, denim jeggings, no accessories. 

What we are bringing:

No need to bring anything special. This performance was unique in the fact that the audience was allowed to photograph and record it (without flash). My sister usually brings her DSLR, but didn't because theatre performances usually say no. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't bring it. 

DOs and DON'Ts

DO bring your friends 

DON'T be late

DO take pictures and record video

DON'T use flash

DO participate and dance along

DON'T annoy the person next to you (I'm looking at you Dani! Hahaha jk)

DO take pictures with the dancers after the performance 

Performance Review:

I love this performance!!! I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Korea or even if you've lived here for years such as I have. It was a mix of storytelling, comedy, and dance. 

SaChoom is very good about audience participation. The first victim was this cute girl who was asked to do a shoulder shake or what I call the shimmy. She was a good sport about it. Throughout the performance the characters who called her on stage would mimic her and laugh at her. 

There was such a vast array of dance styles. My favorite was bboying, of course. 

At one point the strobe lights came on. And two dancers jumped across the stage in a way that made it appear that they were floating or flying. I really wish I would have gotten a video of it, it was amazing. 

There were three main characters of the story. We were taken on a journey through their lives told through dance. It was a fluid concept that showed off dance and acting. 

I really applaud this group of dancers and the production of SaChoom. It was very entertaining and I especially enjoyed the end when the entire audience stood up and danced along with them. 

It is the 11th anniversary of SaChoom, congratulations! It was a fun night and I especially felt a greater connection with other KTO supporters. The Minister of Tourism gave his thanks. He was sitting a few seats from me, and I'll have you know that he loved dancing ^_^ 

 

I had to get a selfie with this very expressive dancer. 

The main girl dancer and the emcee posed with my sister and I. He was a very funny guy. 

This is the underdog of the story, he was such a great dancer! Thanks SaChoom for doing an awesome job! And thank you KTO for always providing these kind of opportunities to continue to fall in love with Korea. 

Korea in Motion Showcase and City Slide

2015 KTO Adventure on July 18

What we are doing:

Enjoying the Korea in Motion Festival Showcase, as well as, watch people get wet. We watched four amazing performances: Fantastick, Painters Hero, SaChoom, and Nanta.

There was a variety of fun blow up animals and inner tubes provided for participants of all ages. 

Thank you KTO for inviting us to participate in this international activity. I just found out City Slide will be in my hometown this weekend. 

KTO supporters hamming it up for a photo. 

The kiddie pool was a popular place, especially considering it was directly in front of the performance stage. 

Volunteers preparing to help participants get their inner tubes. 

Where we are going:

Sinchon station exit 2 or 3

How to get there: easiest way for those living far away from Sinchon is to take the subway (line 2). Especially since Saturdays tend to have heavy traffic. If you live south of the river you might be lucky enough to spot a sailboat while crossing the Hangang, like I did on this day. 

What we are wearing:

Supporters who planned on climbing the slide and taking the plunge (would you call that a plunge?) came dressed in beach attire, some in swimsuits, others in tanks and shorts. I chose a summery look to match my new short hairstyle (how do you like it). I also sported my faux crochet 만원 shoes (yes I'm proud of that find). 

Nice and cool. Didn't need the kids splashing me with water but they did so generously. Thanks kids~

What we are bringing:

Not much. Since I was acting purely as an observer, my sister brought her SLR and I made sure to bring my iPhone charger (that pesky iPhone 5 takes great pics but the battery dies like none other). 

*July 18 was the final day of Starbucks' half off deal, we took full advantage as I charged my phone between performances. 

Amanda's thoughts:

As always I had a great time!!! Two of my friends joined us and also had enjoyed the day. I especially loved that this event was open to the public so that I could invite my friends and share these memories with them. The weather was cool and cloudy but warm enough for people to still get wet and not catch a cold. It did start to rain a bit later in the day, so Nanta's start time was moved up. Thankfully we were right next to the stage in Starbucks, so we ran out when we heard drumming. My only suggestion for Seoul City is if City Slide happens again in the future to find a place with a steeper hill. When people slide down the initial high slide they only propelled for less than a fourth of the super long slide. 

Performance Reviews:

Fantastick

 

As the name suggests this is a fantastic performance of drumming. Not only were there drums but some mad bboy skills. The drumming group was also joined on stage by a group of beautiful women colorfully dressed playing traditional instruments. The group also showed off some pansori 판소리 (traditional storytelling singing).

The day was full of men on their hands. 

The drumming group of Fantastick really encouraged audience participation. We were asked to mimick yells and chants. 

The group was not restricted to one type of drum nor to one drum as they played on each others' drums. 

Here we were serenaded by beautiful traditional music. It's such an ear pleasing sound. 

Painters Hero

A group of four men exhibit a variety of talent in Painters Hero. As I watched them perform I wondered what the job requirements were. Did the producers look for artists and teach them to dance or did they look for dancers and taught them to paint? Either way these multi-talented men entertained with skill and humor. 

Of course they had to do one painting shirtless as that seemed to be the trend through out the day for all male performers. The guy on the right painted a sweet dragon while the guy on the left seemed to be painted black on black. I could barely make out the glimmer of a face. Then he dropped yellow-gold powder/glitter (I don't know what it was) which stuck to the paint. And behold, guess who the portrait was of? Bruce Lee! Good guess, hahaha. 

The mine like painters assembled this image of Michael Jackson after each painting just a portion of the puzzle individually. It was funny to watch them mismatch the pieces and then the sound of amazement could be heard among the crowd when the pieces lined up perfectly. 

Watch out for loose beach balls from the kiddie pool, dancing painting guys. 

SaChoom

SaChoom is a dance performance. Sa is short for the Korean word for people 사람 (saram) and Choom is the noun form of dance 춤. 

I like this picture because it looks like he's blowing a dancer shaped fireball from his mouth (just me? Okay~).

The coreography was well done with the team performing as a group and also with each dancer being highlighted. 

There was a lot of skill and straight up strength presented in the performance. It is evident that these dancers are talented, as well as train hard. 

I can dream, but in reality I will never be capable of these moves. Yes, he made flipping look so effortless. 

As one bboy removed his shirt, the dance group's leader humorously retrieved it. 

It was not all bboying and sexy dancing, we were also privileged to see how these dancers are quite well rounded. They even showed off some ballet moves. 

I have no idea what this outfit is called but it was amazing!!! The aesthetics of this was splendid with the colored lights hitting it. 

The dance team seemed to have a posse of fans. A swarm of what I judged to be middle school girls screamed and clung to the stage. The leader was often amused by them and would throw them a wink every so often. As you could imagine I went deaf after that. 

Nanta

This was the 3rd time for me to see Nanta. Understandably they were not able to use audience participation due to time. When I saw the full performance they pulled me up on stage to marry some gentleman who was much older than me (I was thinking, "find me a hot guy"). 

Since we had to run out of Starbucks we could only find space hidden next to the stage. Actually, I don't think we were allowed there but we hid to take pics from this side/rear view. 

I always love the drumming skills of Nanta. Especially when the girl gets her solo and she really gets into it. 

Perhaps you can not tell from the picture but I was close enough to that knife I was starting to worry about if he accidentally dropped it. 

Nanta is one of the longest running performances in Seoul. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting. Heck, if you've lived here your whole life and haven't seen it, I would recommend it.