K-pop, rhythmic drum sounds and colorful Hanboks were among the many things people could see at the Canyon Country Community Center last week for the second installment of the city of Santa Clarita’s “Celebrate” series. This month’s destination was South Korea.
Performers were filled with gratitude as they were given a platform at the Canyon Country outdoor space to highlight their cultural background through various performances in an uplifting space.
University of California Riverside’s Tarten Seoul dance group opened up the evening with a hip-hop performance to current top songs in the K-Pop genre music charts. Director of the group and a UCR Marketing major Glory Kang said that the all-inclusive group provides a friendly atmosphere with a total of 60 members and focuses on Korean Pop dance.
“With the popularity of K-Pop, I think it’s a good starting point for most people to get introduced to Korean culture,” said Kang. “Just kind of like a step into the kiddie pool. If they [enjoy] it [people] can get to know more about the country itself such as traditions and the history.”
Hiza Yoo Korean Dance Institute had a more traditional performance aimed to preserve Korean heritage and focus on Korean music and dance. The school, which was founded in 1999 and based in Northridge, has performed a total of 350 times in various places including LACMA, Los Angeles Zoo, Pacific Asia Musuem, the Korean Culture Center and more.
Christian Lee, Dorin Kim and Jiho Oh were three of the five musicians who performed a rhythmic drum performance.
“As a second-generation Korean American, I like to be able to kind of tap into the culture and my roots and be surrounded by other cultures,” said Kim. “We perform sometimes in venues where it’s other Korean groups, but then sometimes we also perform where there are other cultural groups and [we get to see] other traditions as well.”
Sharing their own cultural backgrounds to an audience that may not be fully knowledgeable about the country or its traditions, “means a lot to me,” said Lee. “I feel like these days a lot of cultures have been lost and I feel like doing this can really help other people know what we are doing,” and learn more about different countries.
“It’s really nice to see smiles from all types of people,” added Kim. “Whether it be our own parents, the other people in our company, or people in the audience here to celebrate a different culture.”
