Let's Go See Pilbong Good

Let's Go See Pilbong Good combining Pilbong Nongak (farmer's music) inscribed in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and a variety of traditional cultural experiences contributes to the development of the regional community culture beyond generations and ages. The community-oriented tradition seeks communication, friendship, harmony and sharing between urban and rural societies, dreaming of the globalization of Korean traditional culture. Especially, Pilbong Nongak highlighting farmer's generous and affectionate life helps the audience think about the value of the traditional music and upgrades Pilbong to the place that people want to revisit and creates a rebirth of the Korean culture.

Let's Go See Pilbong Good combining Pilbong Nongak (farmer's music) inscribed in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and a variety of traditional cultural experiences contributes to the development of the regional community culture beyond generations and ages. The community-oriented tradition seeks communication, friendship, harmony and sharing between urban and rural societies, dreaming of the globalization of Korean traditional culture. Especially, Pilbong Nongak highlighting farmer's generous and affectionate life helps the audience think about the value of the traditional music and upgrades Pilbong to the place that people want to revisit and creates a rebirth of the Korean culture.

Pilbong Nongak, one of the most famous performing art inheriting the unique features of the regional gut (shaman ritual) is the pride of Pilbong in Imsil-gun, the Jeollabuk province. "Let`s Go See Pilbong Good" consists of Pilbong Nongak, Durenori (an entertainment for encouraging farmers in group work), and regular performances. Pilbong Nongak includes seven performing arts having outstanding elements of solo performances. Durenori easily and interestingly introduces the Korean agricultural culture and how to grow rice to children who might be unfamiliar with the tradition. The regular performance project Fun and Good adds fun with various entertainments such as a sedentary percussion performance, an ensemble of percussion quartets from three different provinces, and a standing dance. Moreover, "Let`s Go See Pilbong Good" gratifies the senses of the audience with abundant experience programs such as making rice cake and pizza, making a handkerchief and mask and learning Pilbong Nongak.

Pilbong Nongak with explanation inscribed in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has the distinct feature that the solo performer freely plays a character at the center of the stage. The performance, sometimes called "a play in a military camp", allows the audience to come to the stage and participate in the play. Pilbong Nongak is composed of seven performances: a small drum performance with a conical hat expressing defence actions at war, a small drum performance with a soldier's felt hat showing the dynamic actions of spinning a hat attached with a long ribbon, a hunter's performance including actions using a gun, a percussion performance showing the best talent playing a traditional double-headed drum, a nobleman's performance displaying the dignity of the nobleman, a new bride's performance showing the delicacy of women, and a spinning hat dance for praying good luck for the year.

Durenori "Come on out, Gold!" consisting of the four parts of spring, summer, fall, and winter easily and interestingly introduces the Korean agricultural culture and how to grow rice. In the spring part, performers express the beautiful motions of fairies wishing the year be rich before the busy farming season. In the summer part, performers sing farmers' songs to relieve their pain and cheer them up, drawing the audience to the stage with a variety of performances. In the fall part, the strong sound of diverse Korean drums expresses typhoons hurting the harvest. In the winter part, performers express joy and happiness from the rich harvest by energetically beating farming tools.

The other regular performance project Fun and Good includes a sedentary percussion performance filled with a variety of rhythms, an ensemble of percussion quartets from three different provinces keeping their unique elements, a standing dance where a performer boasts their talent in a shaman song, an original percussion performance creatively modified from the traditional rhythm, and a ritual performance where a shaman-acting performer powerfully moves on the floor. Especially the ritual dance, spinning plates, and acrobatic entertainments draw enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

Tradition bearers recognized by the Pilbong Nongak Preservation Institute

Website of the Pilbong Culture Village, media and leaflets