RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - High octane movement and rhythmic traditional drumming were highlights of a performance to celebrate Rancho Cordova Korean Culture Day, observed on stage at the Koreana Plaza International Market on March 19 with a capacity audience looking on. KP owner BJ Yu hosted the colorful spectacle.

Featuring a youthful all-male cast of traditional performers from Chung-Ang University, a private university in Seoul, South Korea, the performing group is on a tour of “K-Culture Public Diplomacy,” sharing the rich and ancient heritage of one of America’s strongest partners in Asia.

The hour-long performance was highlighted by the rhythms of various Korean drums.  Drums play an important part in traditional Korean music, ranging from folk music to royal court music.  There are a wide variety of shapes and sizes for use both in accompanying other instruments and in special drumming performances, such as showcased in the KP Market performance.

Dancers performed impressive leaps and kept time with the drumming while swirling ribbons attached to sticks and headpieces.  Paul Cho, president of the Sacramento Valley Korean American Community, said the storyline celebrated natural components of nature, including wind and rain.  The performance was attended by several South Korean dignitaries, including Kyungtae Kim, Consul, representing the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea.

The performance was called “Yeo Eum,” which means “Sharing Sound.” The performance was created in 2020 and has been showcased throughout Korea and the world.  The mission of the tour is to contribute to the popularization of Korean traditional culture by showcasing a variety of instruments, dances and costumes.

Rancho Cordova Vice Mayor Linda Budge presented a City Proclamation declaring March 19 as Korean Culture Day in the city.  Councilmember Garrett Gatewood became part of the show by stepping in to perform a traditional revolving plate maneuver during which he sent a rotating plate flying through the air to be deftly caught at the end of a stick held by one of the performers.

The proclamation noted that Rancho Cordova is home to a large percentage of the Korean American owned businesses in the region, supporting Korean entrepreneurship and hosting international shopping and entertainment opportunities, such as the KP Market.

It also noted Rancho Cordova’s participation in Korean cultural events such as the Annual Full Moon Festival, planting gifts of Mugungwa, a South Korean State Flower, on the grounds of City Hall, and the 2017 gift of books, periodicals and other media to the Rancho Cordova Library by the Korean Consulate in San Francisco.  The gift was intended to provide education and cultural exchange in Rancho Cordova.