Levin ballroom was alive Saturday night with dance, poetry, dialogue, music and food for an educational, entertaining and exciting sixth annual Korean Night. This year, the event was called "Korea-Graphed" to remind us of our own personal choreography in our interaction with the world and with others. The show opened with "KSA-<>Ahora! Fusion," a drum and dance performance that demonstrated the beautiful synthesis that occurs when Latin American dance merges with Korean drum beats. Under the choreography of Katherine Kim '05 and Reasey Ngoun '05, "Fusion" was a thrilling way to start the show and set the audience's mood for the evening.

The energy continued with a Tae Kwan Do demonstration set to a pumping musical beat. The impressive display of various skills and techniques-like breaking boards-conveyed the discipline and beauty of this Korean martial art. Next, the Fan Dance, or Buchaechum, was a gorgeous performance artfully choreographed by Josephine Lee '08. Ten girls dressed in stunning pink and green costumes danced with authentic fans using delicate yet powerful movements to both demonstrate the individual beauty of each performer and the striking patterns and formations that are made when all of the dancers come together.

Adding to the already diverse performances was the recitation of two poems. The first, "Nim Eh Chim Muk," was beautifully recited in Korean by Stephanie Kang '08. Written by Han Yong Oon, a Buddhist Monk, the poem mourns the loss of a sovereign Korean government after the Japanese invasion in 1910. You did not have to speak Korean to really hear the grief in Kang's voice and to understand the tone of the poem. The second poem was "35 Yearz," by DYP tha goldynchild, a Korean-American rapper. The poem is a challenge to Korean-American youth to honor their history, and its powerful lyrics were read confidently by Jane Chae '05.

Although the change in tone was abrupt, it was also effective as it led into a serious slide show about the city of Gwangju, a center of protest in Korea's fight for democratization. It depicted the cruel violence displayed by troops toward civilians. This part of the show was part of many educational aspects of the evening in which the audience learned a lot not only about the culture of Korea, but about the country's history and struggles.

The modernized Korean folk tale of "A Fairy and the Lumberjack," another highlight of the first act, was witty, and the actors-all members of the class of '08-were hilarious. Such plays on well-known pop culture, such as the hunter's "Matrix" technique for hunting deer, left the audience laughing.

The second act opened with a dance to the artist Hyori's Korean remix of Brandy and Monica's "Boy is Mine," followed by "Study Group," a short film directed by Sam Katz '07 in which three Korean Brandeis students-an adoptee, a first generation and an international student-are followed through a typical weekend night. Without dialogue and only through images, the film portrayed their differences and the various struggles each has while at the same time showing how the diversity can be unifying.

The band The Ides, part of the Soul'd Out Entertainment label, performed three songs of very different styles and tones. With a sound varying from being reminiscent of Radiohead to a hip-hop feel to guitar riffs to a soulful pop feel, I absolutely loved the energy and talent this group demonstrated. The lead singer's voice was excellent, and the different and unique sound of the group was truly captivating.

Next, Ben Byun '07 and Jane Kim '05 made a presentation about Liberation in North Korea (LiNK), a group founded last March with the goals of education and activism, calling for human rights, political and religious freedom and aid for North Korea. Kim explained the program and fundraising efforts after a brief slide show and noted that they'd like to start a LiNK chapter at Brandeis next semester.

The audience truly responded to "Korea-Graphed," and the show entertained from start to finish. Each skit was unique, but rather than make the show seem choppy, "Korea-Graphed" made these different aspects flow to create an encompassing survey of Korean culture, history and struggles. I was struck by the creativity and versatility of the program, and really didn't feel that there was too much focus on any one type of performance or too little of another. Delicious Korean food was served in Usdan at the program's conclusion.