Korean Drum Dramaturgy: Tago @Edfringe 2017

Gruejarm Production - supported by Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Korea 

present: 

TAGO – KOREAN DRUM II 

Korea’s breathtaking show of percussion and martial arts choreography

Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) 

3.15pm – 4.15pm

August 3rd-27th

(not August 21st)

TAGO means ‘lighting up the world by beating drums’ and this young ensemble achieves it with a spectacular mixture of Korean traditional instruments - from gigantic drums to small percussion instruments – spiced up with extravagant martial arts movement.

TAGO’s performances are a masterful display of thrilling percussion and precisely choreographed movement that has wide audience appeal.

1. What was the inspiration for this performance?

TAGO means ‘lighting up the world by beating drums’.

Korean traditional music called ‘Gugak’ has been with us for more than 1,000 years with its identity. It has experienced many changes from the Korean ancient times up to date to shape the Korean music. The music we play now is, I can say, the survivors from what has been handed down from our ancestors during our five thousand year history.

2. Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Nowadays, not many young generations like to listen to the traditional music but love the K-pop singer/group. 

Still numerous artists try to keep and develop the traditional music and attract young generation not to forget our root.

After all, what we pursue for our music is to harmonize our traditional music with modernized touch.

3. How did you become interested in making performance?

It was very natural. 

I started be on stage when I was 11 and even though it was for quite different genre (Dance, Musical, Play etc.) I was in, I was interested in Stage lighting, music, creators I work with, audience reaction and all the inspiration the theatre could give. 

4. Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

We’d like to perform live and interactive with the audience. 

It’s not for just showing. It’s for sharing.

5. Does the show fit with your usual productions?

Yes. 

6. What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We’ve been to Edinburgh last year and experience the audience reaction. 

We had a standing ovation from the first show to the end.

We expect the same or even bigger’ wow’ for this year.

7. What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

We promote hard. We meet audience on the street and they come to see us to the theatre. We interact a lot.

TAGO return to The Fringe 2017 with a new show which follows their enormously popular and successful Fringe debut last year.
Says TAGO master drummer Kim Si-Won: “Korean traditional music, called "Gugak", has been with us for more than 1000 years and has experienced many changes, from the Korean ancient times up to the present day. The music we play now is the survivor from what has been handed down from our ancestors during our 5000-year history. 

TAGO – Korean Drum II is part of a showcase of Korean shows at the 70
th
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, brought to the Fringe by Gruejarm Production - supported by Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Korea - consisting of... MEDEA on media, Behind the Mirror, TAGO: Korean DrumII, Mind-goblin and SNAP.

Arts Poker: What we saw last week...

15:30

Welcome to the first weekly Vile Arts Poker Contest. The rules are simple, because I am making them up as we go along,and fixing them so I win. Today's competitors are Gareth K Vile and Eric Karoulla - reigning champion and young pretender. Welcome Eric.

Why thank you for having me, Gareth. I'm not entirely sure about this competition, sir.

The rules are that you get to pick three arts events that you have seen in the past month. And we pit them against each other, to see who saw the best stuff and has the best taste.

Ooh, sounds like fun! However, you are a judge and a competitor, so how is this fair? Best taste is subjective - going back to your favourite argument about radical subjectivity - but isn't it always about what we can get tickets to?

Don't mention that. Anyway, you can go first. Tell me about something you've seen, and give a quick, spirited description...

Sonata For A Man and A Boy was quite exciting! Not only the exploration of the relationship between a music teacher and a student, but also an examination of what it is to be an adult - in this case, a grown man - and what it is to be a child.

Saw that at the Macrobert, in Stirling. I think it's heading to the Traverse next month.

Okay, so did this have music in it? The sonata suggests that there would be some... and what did you like about it, apart from it mirroring our friendship - with me as the music teacher, of course.

Yes, there was live music - the two played solos and duets on the cello. It was quite fascinating to see how they went from two separate instruments, to playing on the same one, when their 'voices' were in harmony with each other.

So what was it all about? And how did the music reflect the story?

Well, the narrative started off with a grown man - played by Greg Sinclair - playing with wooden figurines, and asking "Are you ready?". This phrase was used multiple times for various things, like the beginning of the 'class'. The story itself didn't really develop as a linear evolution - it essentially showed moments where a man behaves more like a boy, and a boy behaves more like a man. At some point, the boy puts on the man's blazer and takes over the role of teacher. 

As for the music, it was a sonata played over and over again - like a practice tune at a music lesson. It helped the story move along mainly through the role reversal, since both of them prove equally capable of playing the intricate melody.

Well, as far as music and performance goes, I'm raising you Marc Brew's Fusional Fragments... Brew's superb choreography allied with Dame Evelyn Glennie. The dancers took their cues from Glennie's wild live drumming - she paced the stage like a wild, matriarchal deity, provoking heads to nod in the audience and casting Brew's ballet-influenced movements as an atavistic, tribal ecstasy.

For music, I will put in PSB - Public Service Broadcasting - who played in Nice 'n' Sleazy's last week. They were phenomenal. They didn't even speak! All and any sound was produced from either the synthesizer they had, or the assortment of instruments - including a banjo - they had brought along. 

Meanwhile, they didn't really have to perform anything aside from the music, since they had brought with them clips of films that matched to their War Room EP. Dark music, but it really sat well with its theme!

Also, do you actually know what 'atavistic' means, Vile?

It means a biological throwback - like the slight tail I have at the base of my spine. That's why i don't like performances that last more than an hour - it hurts if I sit on it...

If we are going pure music, I raise you Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers. Nearly three hours of loud, fast and rocking Japanese drumming. from the first professional Taiko group in the UK. They had their teacher over, so we got a few sips from the source - he pulled out this drum that was wired up to sound like a bass guitar, and got into a serious improvisation jam with his student.

That covers both of your shows I think - a student/teacher relationship played out in performance of music, some seriously heavy beats... and they explained a little about the music, too. Mugenkyo are beautifully tough, too: there is something almost military about their precision,and melodramatic in the way they switch drums and bang hell out of the beats. When the percussion starts to find a melody, it's astounding... I was transported to another place... tribal energy strikes again...

Meanwhile, I got to the Frock On Frock Off Sunday Bizarre, at the glue factory, which involved plenty of live art interaction, as well as screenings of three short films by Lock Up Your Daughters. It was quite a fun day, with varying tones, ranging from Foxy's (of Foxy & Husk) emotive miming to a chat about consent with Harry Giles. Also, present was Ian Nulty with his Sauna persona! 

Prior to the Olympiad, there was a Query Queery discussion, which allowed us to debate what it was to be a member of the LGBTQ society and whether or not the Q was relevant.

Interaction win!

I think you do win, and I regret missing that:Tranny and Roseannah were great fun on our show last week, and although I caught one night of the cabaret - with great acts - I had the feeling that it was part of a broader agenda.

It seems as if Frock Frock Off was uniting queer sexuality with what I would call "queer performance" - not in any sexual sense, but just in the sense of being other. It's an ambition project, and sending a day on it would be far more profitable than just one evening - when I reviewed the show, I felt that it was pointing to something. Whereas you went to the source.

Well, looks like I can't win even when I make up the rules. Your prize is... a delicious baked potato I made in the microwave.