Korean traditional arts take center stage on European tour

Korea’s traditional rhythms, masked dances and epic storytelling are heading to European stages next month in a three-country tour designed to bring the energy of its intangible cultural heritage to international audiences. The National Intangible Heritage Center, under the Korea Heritage Service, said Thursday that “K-Intangible Heritage Festival: Pungjang Korea” would stage performances in Budapest on Wednesday, Podgorica on Nov. 8 and Ankara on Nov. 13. More than 20 performers, including practitioners of nationally recognized intangible heritage and contemporary artists, will combine traditional music, dance and theatrical performance in a production making its European debut. The tour is intended to raise the international profile of Korean cultural heritage while introducing audiences unfamiliar with its traditional arts to the exuberance and communal spirit at the heart of these performances. The program unfolds across four scenes, opening with “Mungut,” a ritual that launches the performance, followed by “Saemgut,” which invokes life and well-being. “Jisinbapgi” d