The National Intangible Heritage Center, National Intangible Heritage Center (Director Park Pan-yong), will host the first half of the 2024 "Yeoneum Pungryubang" planned performance on July 2 and July 5 at the Usu Maru Small Theater of the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do.

"Yeoneum Pungryubang" is an experimental performance series led by practitioners in the intangible heritage performance field from planning to directing, highlighting the contemporary value of intangible heritage through the fusion of traditional arts and modern reinterpretation. It aims to expand the artistic world of the inheritors and discover new performance contents that can resonate with the audience, operating twice a year in the first and second halves.

This first half (1st session) will feature practitioners in four categories: Pansori Gobeop, Gayageum Sanjo and Byeongchang, Gyeonggi Dodanggut, and Seungmu, presenting creative stages departing from conventional forms.

The first performance will be on July 2 at 7:30 p.m., featuring the work "Gayageum Drumming" by Choi Man, a Pansori Gobeop practitioner, and Jung Yoo-kyung, a Gayageum Sanjo and Byeongchang practitioner.

Under the theme of the meeting between 'Gayageum' (old term for Gayageum) and 'Goe' (drum), various musical experiments will be attempted, including the restoration of traditional percussion instruments, creation of new rhythms, musicalization of oral folk songs, and the combination of Sanjo and Byeongchang. The direction is by Son Hye-seon.

The second performance will be on July 5 at 4 p.m., presenting the work "Remembered Shinmyeong x DNA of Life" by Kim Young-eun, a Gyeonggi Dodanggut practitioner, and Kwon Hyo-jin, a Seungmu practitioner.

Expressing the flow of Shinmyeong and the sensation of life through the meeting of traditional rituals and dances such as Gut and Seungmu, they deliver a message of purification and healing to the audience through sound and gestures. The direction is by Hong Won-gi.

Both performances are free of charge, and reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through the National Intangible Heritage Center's website (www.nihc.go.kr) or by phone (063-280-1500, 1501) starting from the 25th. Detailed information about the performances and introductions of the performers can be found on the website.

An official from the National Intangible Heritage Center stated, "Yeoneum Pungryubang is a meaningful attempt for inheritors to freely express their artistic voices by reinterpreting traditional arts," and expressed hope for "a lot of interest and participation in discovering the potential of intangible heritage that resonates with the times."