On Saturday, the Korean Students Association (KSA) presented its fifth-anniversary Korean Night which not only educated the Brandeis community on the rich Korean-American culture and history, but also served as the Centennial Celebration of Korean immigration - a very proud and significant milestone in Korean-American history.
Students, friends and family that poured into Sherman Function Hall that evening were warmly welcomed by KSA's very own traditionally dressed couple which appeared to serve as a glimpse into what the night was to bring. In a matter of minutes, all the empty chairs in the room were quickly be replaced by a full-house that tickled with excitement and anticipation. As the lights dimmed, the spotlight shined down on the floor as the night began. Ahram Shin '06 and Katherine Kim '05, dressed in traditional all-white costumes, with large drums called "sul jangoo" strapped across their chests, stepped onto the audience's view from opposing sides. Words were not necessary as they greeted the audience with the battling of their steady yet strong pulsating beats.

Next, Janet S. Kim '04 awed the audience, and probably deeply touched many second and third generation Korean-Americans with her skills of reciting poetry. Although she had some technical difficulties with the microphone and had to resort to not using one at all, her first poem laid down a vivid picture of Korean culture and history. Her second poem, "Punctuation," touched upon the stereotypes and perspectives of what it means to be Korean-American. Especially moving was not merely Kim's theatric ability to recite, but also the passion and intensity she exuded, capturing her audience in a moment of deep emotion.

A wise addition to the program was the informative tidbits accompanied my pictures presented on a screen for the audience. Whether it was about a favorite Korean snack such as "Chocopie" or about a highlight in Korean-American history, each clip seemed to serve as a pleasant complement to the show.

In the next act, Class of 2007 members Chris Joo, Jessica Kim, Jin Kim,
Cynthia Kao and Chris Parroco-Rojas cranked up some bumping Korean pop-music to show off their hip dance moves. Serving as a pleasant contrast to the traditional battle of the drums, they performed flips, solo pieces, and in sync dancing coordinated by Jin Kim. Whether it was Jiang's sexy yet charming solo - punctuated by a wink that left the audience chuckling - or Joo's astonishing flips and spins that drew much "ooh and ahh" from the audience, the performance was completed by a surge of roaring applause and hollers from the crowd.

"One Voice," a five-person male singing group, captivated the audience with their heart wrenchingly beautiful voices that were nicely accentuated by a guitar background. Their soft, angelic voices resonated throughout the room with some old school R&B, putting everyone in a trance of awe, particularly the women who appeared to be wooed by the beautifully melodic voices.

It was a bit controversial when one of the singers introduced the Christian song "You are the King." As he took a few moments to speak of the strong Christian influence their music contained, it appeared to have a double effect - some seemed to be deeply moved by his words, while others may have took in the words as an unexpected and unwelcome interruption to the performance.

"Some people may have criticized the strong undertones of Christianity throughout the show, but I think its representative of the Korea-American culture, so you can't minus that out and I think that its very important that it did come out like that, though I didn't have control over that at all." KSA President Jane Kim '05 said.

With the support of the Hewlett Pluralism Alliance Grant, "Revision," KSA's first original short film - directed by Arnon Schorr '05 and written by Michael Park '05 - addressed the very real issue of Korean-American identity and the obstacles that Korean-American students at Brandeis University overcome throughout their daily lives. Starring Ben Lee '06, the film, although not high-tech or elaborate, was humorous and entertaining. Most importantly, the film fulfilled its purpose. It took the audience, regardless of race, age, or gender, though only for a few moments, into the life of a Korean-American student.

Next, KSA presented the traditional Korean fan dance "boo chae choom" choreographed by Katherine Kim '05. The female dancers strolled onto the floor dressed in traditional Korean costumes, characterized by gorgeous vibrant colors and each holding two identical fans accentuated by bright, hot pink feathers. As they dancers glided across the floor, swaying their fans about in unison, the performance looked absolutely serene and heavenly. It was truly a striking example of one of Korea's beautiful cultural art forms.

Suddenly the serene music silenced, and the modern rendition of the fan dance was initiated by a loud bang of American pop star Beyonce Knowles' voice singing "Baby Boy." From the back, six females - identically dressed in tight white capri pants and olive green netted tanks and holding the same pink-feathered fans - stepped up to steal the scene. They hyped up the audience with their trendy hip-hop moves and upbeat pop culture music, but it didn't exactly "steal the show." The idea of presenting a contrast between the traditional and modern music and dance form was clever. However, in comparison to the quiet yet strikingly elegant beauty of the previous traditional fan dance performance, the modern dance was a bit lacking.

Upon the conclusion of the satisfying - but first-years performed the modern version of the Korean pansori epic "Chunyang" through a short skit. Unfortunately, the skit seemed to be unable to present any sort of Korean culture - modern or traditional. Furthermore, the narration was difficult to hear and comprehend, hence making it difficult for the audience to closely follow the storyline. The performance did have its brief moments of humor in which loud howls of laughter could be heard. Yet overall the performance was a bit confusing and unsatisfying, especially in contrast to the previous exceptional acts.

Just when the show appeared to be heading slightly downhill, the KSA drum troupe of six students stole the show with their amazing skills at "sa mool nol ree" which are four different drum-like instruments. Dressed alike in colorful Korean costumes, the performers sat down Indian-style on the floor and showed a taste of Korean style drum beating. The audience seemed clearly absorbed by the show, cheering and applauding throughout the entire performance. Of course, a mentionable highlight of the piece was when Jacob Kim '06 got up and slipped in a few of his hilariously funny, but undeniably entertaining dance moves. As the drumbeats slowly decreased in volume to silence, the act ended in continuous rounds of applause. Probably one of the most poignant acts of the night was the KSA E-board's performance of "I am from." Standing side by side, each board member took part in reciting a sentence starting with "I am from." Each sentence was different and portrayed unique characteristics of every individual's identity, background and experiences, yet the act had a unifying effect. In addition, Katherine Kim's intense performance of spoken word was touching, passionate, and amazing.

The night came to an end with a performance by Danny Hwang, as he displayed his skills of singing, playing the keyboard and exciting the audience. He began by bringing out a girl from the audience and wooing her with a popular Korean love song. Then, accompanied by his keyboard he sang "A Lifetime is not too Long to Live as Friends," and ended the night on an upbeat note, in which the audience began to clap, dance and just have a good time.

After the show, Jane Kim proudly commented on the evening. "The show was off the hook. We incorporated so many things: political, modern, traditional, entertainment, the works; and I think it pulled off really well," Kim said. "We had a couple of technicalities, but overall I think people got a very good message and learned a lot about the Korean-American culture.