Traditional music ensembles, martial arts and dance welcomed students and community members Wednesday evening at the Kiva Auditorium in Erickson Hall to celebrate Korean culture. The event was part of Korean Week, hosted by the Asian Studies Center. Korean Week began at MSU in 2008.
Dressed in a hanbok — a Korean dress worn on important events such as weddings and Thanksgiving — global and area studies junior Brisbane Asekome, one of the emcees, practiced introductions to the different acts. After studying the Korean language for three years, Asekome said studying Korean culture has changed her perspective.
“It’s opened my eyes to what’s going on with other cultures,” Asekome said. “It’s helped me appreciate my own culture as well as others.”
Musicians played the gayageum, a traditional Korean instrument with 12 string and percussion group Mae-A-Ri performed during the event.
Asekome said students would be particularly interested in the traditional music and dance performances.
“They won’t see them on a regular basis,” Asekome said. “Most Americans have never seen it.”
The Tae kwon do Children, a part of the University Apartments Council of Residents’ Tae Kwon Do program, and second degree black belt Kimberly Fritzsche performed as well.
Taekwondo is the national sport of Korea, Fritzsche said.
Both groups demonstrated poomse, or forms. Poomse are patterns of kicks, blocks and strikes, Fritzsche said.
“(Forms are) training tools to develop you as a martial artist mentally and physically,” Fritzsche said. “It’s got to be carried out with perfection and precision … it’s the art form in Taekwondo.”
The event is intended to broaden student and community members’ understanding of Korean culture, said Outreach Coordinator Hyunju Ha, who organized the events for Korean Week this year.
“When you think of Asian countries, some countries you don’t know well, you might have some prejudice, bias opinions or stereotypes,” Ha said.
Ha said that hopefully the event will help community members and students understand Korean culture more.
“It will expand their knowledge about those countries, specifically about Korea,” Ha said. “(They will get) a better, deeper understanding about Korea or Korean culture.”
Asekome said she hopes the event will help people appreciate Korean culture as well. “It’s always better to learn about a different culture,” Asekome said. “I hope (attendees) would learn more about Korean culture and appreciate it for what it is.”