dance

Being part of a multi-racial society can be a barrier to making friends due to the limitations of language, but recently here in Busan four groups of people crossed that divide in a most unusual way.

The Dance-To-Connect workshop arranged by the American Embassy Seoul and the American Prescence Post in Busan invited the Battery Dance Company (BDC) from New York to hold a week long workshop in Busan.

The worksop was hosted at the Sohyang Music Theatre near Centum in Busan and comprised of four groups of people numbering about a hundred strong.

The four groups were split into, North Korean family members, disadvantaged children, a choir and multi-national housewives.

The theme of the show was to highlight the emotions of the lives of people in each group. I was very fortunate that my wife, a Filipina was one of the housewife group members and became the photographer for the event.

The leaders at Google believe that people are happier and more productive when they spend 20% of their time at work on a personal project, something that interests them, gets them fired up and invites the creative juices to flow. So, for part of Winter Camp 2015, I gave my students the opportunity to do just that! For two weeks they worked one hour each day on an independent project of their choice, and finished by presenting to their classmates. The only catch was that they had to use English in SOME WAY. From creative music videos to a detailed analysis of different educational systems arond the world, they produced some amazing work!

원래 운동할 때마다, 춤을 꼭 추게 된다.

보통 뛰기를 하고, 다리 트레이닝도 하는데, 괜찮은 노래가 나오면, 춤을 추게 된다.

이 때가 제일 기쁘다.
추면서도, 다리, 팔 , 허리, 다 자세히 보면서 춘다.
나중에 미국에 가서 대학교에서 춤을 전공할 생각도 많이 한다.

원래 전공이 보존 생물학이었고, 환경을 너무 좋아하는 사람인데, 그만큼 춤도 너무 좋아한다.

한국에서 JYP 같은 곳에서 춤을 추는 것은 관심이 없다.

내 몸이 춤을 못 출 수 있을 때까지 출 것 같다.

Hongdae, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seoul, Korea, is known for being loud and full of music. Every night you can count on the area’s public spaces to be full of spontaneous and talented performers and one can not ignore the deafening beats blaring from the many clubs that line Hongdae’s narrow streets. But one random night each month is reserved for a different kind of party.

photo credit