Leodo: Paradise Lost by Norian Maro Company

Second Performance of the OPEN STAGE 2014-2015 Season

Come open the New Year through the energy of Pungmul!

Award-winning director and choreographer Haein Song and the internationally acclaimed Korean physical theater group Norian Maro will present their newest production <Leodo: Paradise Lost> on Friday, January 16^th, 2015 at 8 pm at the Flushing Town Hall.

This mesmerizing Korean performance will feature Pungmul, a traditional percussive music and dance genre originally performed by the farmers that was recently recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural of Humanity.

Under Haein Song’s artistic direction, the performance will embody not just the technical methods of this genre, but also the spirit of pungmul, which encourages, entertains, and unifies the performers and the audience through the power of tradition. The energetic and multi-talented group will create an enthralling atmosphere and conjure “Leodo” as a fantasy island through a harmony of splendid costumes, heartfelt movements, dynamic drumming, and enchanting songs to transport the audience into the past, delivering wisdom, arts, and joys of Jeju.

<Synopsis>

Leodo is a mythical island of nirvana in the folk tale of Jeju-do residents where lost souls at sea dwell in paradise. The story begins with a female diver goes to work and departs this life as she gets swept away by the waves. She alone must go to the world beyond, but the soul of the woman cannot depart this life because she has deep sorrow and regret in this world. However, through the help of the Sea God and the Gods of Leodo, she manages to open the road that leads to Island of Paradise. The Norian Maro troupe beautifully captures the ungraspable island through magnificent performance accompanied by rhythmic drumming, solemn singing, and mesmerizing dancing.

Norian Maro is an innovative traditional Korean performance group based in Jeju Island that is dedicated to fostering national artistic traditions and local folk culture through dance and movement, song and percussion, interwoven with elements of mythology. The significance of its name means ‘a gathering of those enjoying the best of Korean traditional arts’.

Originally founded in 2005 as a samulnori (traditional percussion music) group, Norian Maro has since fused traditional and contemporary performance styles into their production earning them the reputation as one of Korea’s premier traditional music and dance performers. Designated as Jeju’s Specialized Performance Arts Groups in 2010 and Jeju Social Enterprise in 2011, Norian Maro performs at more than 800 shows annually, both domestic and abroad. Most notably in 2013, Norian Maro received an international invitation to perform at the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, CIOFF Festival in Guadeloupe, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Composer: Ho Sung Yang, Haein Song

Director: Haein Song

Choreographer: Haein Song

Producer: Norian Mari Company

Cast: Nam Sook Jun, Jong Suk Ki, Yoo Jeong Oh, Minkyong Ha, Jeonghyeon Yun, Haein Song, Ho Sung Yang

Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Please visit: www.bit.ly/norianmaro or www.flushingtownhall.org

For more information, please contact: performingarts@koreanculture.org or (212) 759-9550 ext 210