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| Pansori singer Kim Jun-su performs "Sugung-ga" at the KB Haneul Round Theater of the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of National Theater of Korea |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The 26-year-old pansori singer Kim Jun-su completed a full recital of "Sugung-ga" at the KB Haneul Round Theater of the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul, Saturday.
He performed the pansori piece, which is South Jeolla Provincial Intangible Cultural Property No. 29-4. It is known for its humorous style, featuring personification of animals such as a terrapin and a rabbit, who outwits the Dragon King of the Southern Sea.
The complete performance took about three hours and Kim had to memorize over 40 pages of the script, accompanied only by a "gosu" (drummer). Since performing a complete pansori piece requires much energy and skill, only those proficient in singing and acting can accomplish it.
Kim has been a member of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea (NCCK) since 2013, when he became the youngest member to join the national troupe. He has played a wide variety of roles from Baebijang in "Baebijang-jeon," Jason in "Medea," Zhuge Liang in "Jeokbyeok-ga" and Helen in "The Trojan Women."
He will reprise the role of Heungbo in "Mr. Heungbo" in July.
He also performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. He and the ethnic fusion band Second Moon presented six new contemporary pansori pieces before the Olympic squads from 92 countries, inspired by the tale of "The Tortoise and the Hare," highlighting the Olympic spirit.
Kim and Second Moon collaborated previously in 2016. The band reinterpreted "Chunhyang-ga," another surviving pansori story with contemporary music, and Kim performed as a guest vocalist.
Earlier this month, Kim appeared at "Seven Beat," part of the National Dance Company of Korea's "Next Step" project, advancing the boundaries of his talent.
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