I knew Korea was a country that loved its hip-hop (motto: "Black culture without the black people!"), but I had no idea just how deep the mania was.
This article has set me straight. It describes a nation in the grip of breakdancing fever.
The South Korean government is latching on to B-boys' acrobatic moves as a way to promote the country's dynamic image and draw tourists, and leading corporations are featuring the dancers in TV commercials and high-profile events.
New theater shows feature B-boys, who in Korea sometimes combine their syncopated hip hop beats with traditional Korean folk percussion to fuse new with old.
At a three-day international dance battle that ends Sunday, B-boys from around the world praised the attention in South Korea, saying it was almost unheard of anywhere else today. The Korea Tourism Organization, city government and major companies sponsored the competition.
"Korea is definitely leading the way," said Joe "Jorawk" Stolte, 24, a member of the "Massive Monkees" crew from Seattle. "It's really dope that the government here supports B-boy culture."
Day-yamn.
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Further proof that Korean's will embrace any activity that they do well at.
ReplyDeleteIf Koreans were expert booger-flickers the government would support them too.
I watched the R-16 competition on TV yesterday. It was pretty dynamic. Or, rather, SPARKLING! I was a little surprised to see Korea's Rivers Crew advance in the quarter finals over US's Massive Monkey. They were both really good, but there was one guy on the US team that was a superstar. The Brazilian team were flat out gymnasts!
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure I'd be as interested to see a Booger Flicking competition though. Maybe Korea can form a world class Phlegm Horking team.