Performing Arts Market in Seoul: Connection Between Production and Distribution
October 5–9, 2015, Seoul

The Performing Arts Market in Seoul(PAMS) sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be hosted by Korea Arts Management Service to facilitate and promote the fair distribution and overseas expansion of Korea’s performing arts. The 11th edition of PAMS this year will feature a change in venue from the National Theater of Korea to Dongsoong Art Center in Daehangno, Seoul, and JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul. The event will showcase contemporary trends in Korean arts through 13 excellent productions in performing arts in dramatic theater, dance, traditional music and interdisciplinary arts and three overseas showcases in cooperation with Hong Kong, Spain and Cambodia. Visitors can see 40 showcases at major theaters in Seoul via PAMS Link, a program featuring a variety of performing arts productions staged over the PAMS period. Academic programs in which experts on the performing arts share their knowledge and experience will provide a focus session titled “Design a Bright Future with ASEAN.” The forum will cover the present and future of performing arts in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and small group discussions on recent issues in domestic and overseas performing arts. In addition, PAMS will offer other opportunities to promote the fair distribution and overseas expansion of Korean performing arts, including Looking for International Partners (LIP), Speed Dating for one-on-one business meetings with domestic and overseas experts, and various networking programs.

Link: http://en.pams.or.kr/

SIDance: Single Venue for Excellent Contemporary Dance Performances
September 30–October 18, 2015, Seoul

The 18th SIDance will be held at Seoul Arts Center, CJ Towol Theater, Gangdong Arts Center and Mary Hall of Sogang University from September 30 to October 18, 2015. The keyword of this year’s SIDance is diversity, a theme that will be reflected mainly through dance performances from Northern Europe, Africa and Asia in addition to those from Western Europe, which is considered the hotbed of mainstream contemporary dance. Forty-three performances by 54 organizations from 32 countries will be staged. SIDance will start with Images, a performance to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía of Spain, followed by Dervish, which combines the traditional Sufi dance of Turkey, Requiem for Z, a lyrical performance by the Zagreb Dance Company of Croatia, and Bound by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre of Palestine, which represents the convergence of hip-hop, ballet and acrobatic movement. Other highlights will include Who’s Next, a program to support domestic and overseas dancers for their expansion abroad, a flamenco master class, a Zagreb workshop for children, a Q&A session with artists to provide opportunities for choreographers and dancers to answer questions on dance performances, preview programs featuring video and lectures on performances from overseas.

Link: http://www.sidance.org/2015english/main.php

Seoul Performing Arts Festival: From Traditional Plays to Contemporary Dance
October 2–31, 2015, Seoul

The 15th Seoul Performing Arts Festival(SPAF) will be held at Arko Arts Theater and Daehakro Arts Theater October 2-31, 2015, with the participation of 21 organizations from seven countries. The opening performance is À Louer by Peeping Tom, a leading dance company in Belgium called the center of world contemporary dance. Das Berliner Ensemble, which was founded by Bertolt Brecht and has played a leading role in European plays, will perform in Korea for the first time by staging Shakespeare’s Sonnets. This musical play is directed by Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright, a music director famous for his work on film soundtracks including those for Moulin Rouge, Brokeback Mountain and Shrek. This play features amazing performances and songs by Das Berliner Ensemble members. Other scheduled performances in this year’s SPAF include Living Room by Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, who inherited the plays of Grotowski, and “Soloist,” or new solo performances by leading Korean dancers Kim Joo-won, Cha Jin-yeop and Jang Yunna. Seoul Dance Collection & Connection will also offer performance-based competitions, acting workshops, lectures and conversations with artists for the purpose of developing young choreographers.  

Link: http://spaf.or.kr/2015english/index_ing.php

Jeonju International Sori Festival: Party for Traditional Korean Music & World Music
October 7–11, 2015, Jeonju

The Jeonju International Sori Festival will introduce world music with a focus on pansori, the traditional Korean genre of musical storytelling, at Sori Arts Center in Jeollabuk-do and around Jeonju Hanok Village October 7-11, 2015. The opening performance Pansori Big Party featuring Changgeuk Company, Orchestra, and Dance Company of the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Institute for Korean Traditional Performing Arts and other 160 artists based in the province will create a carnival-like atmosphere under the theme of Heungbo-ga, a pansori piece. K-folk Big Party will have performances by leading Korean folk singers Song Chang-sik, Yang Hee-eun and Jang Pil-soon, and concerts by the Clare Memory Orchestra of Ireland and French chanson singer Jeanne Cherhal. Also scheduled are performances by Hwang Byung-gi, a master of gayageum (traditional Korean zither-like string instrument), Masahiko Sato, a famous pianist from Japan, and Ko-Bra Project by Jeong Ga Ak Hoe (a music group for traditional Korean songs), who will perform a combination of original music from Korea and Brazil. To celebrate that nongak (traditional Korean farmer’s music) was added to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the various venues of the festival will feature multiple nongak performances, including Jeonbuk Nongak Masters’ Collection, a program by artists who have presented their artistic skills for gut (a traditional Korean shamanic ritual), and the closing performance titled Nongak Big Party.

Link: http://sorifestival.com/2015html/english/

Zandari Festa: Showcase for Korean Indie Music
October 2–4, 2015, Seoul

Zandari Festa, a showcase for Korean indie music, will be held on the streets of Hongdae, a Seoul district famous for art and entertainment, October 2-4, 2015, with 250 teams staging performances at about 20 live music clubs, theaters and cafes. Zandari, the Korean answer to South by Southwest(SXSW) of the U.S., offers showcases by musicians in genres including rock, folk, electronic music, jazz and Gugak (traditional Korean music), and pursues a “DIY festival” together with the event host. A growing number of musicians from abroad have participated in Zandari, which is based on voluntary participation by artists, and about 40 overseas teams will perform this year. Artists who will participate in this year’s festival can establish networks with the domestic and overseas music industries and participate in the 2016 SXSW of the U.S. and Liverpool Sound City of the U.K. Various programs will highlight Korea’s indie music and the culture of Hongdae, Korea’s hub for indie music, including a music conference with representatives from overseas festivals on the identity, issues, environment, resources and artists of their festivals, exhibitions and parties.  

Link: http://www.zfesta.com/en/

MU:CON & APaMM: A to Z for Global Expansion of Korean Music
October 6–8, Seoul (MU:CON)
October 8–10, Ulsan (APaMM)

From October 6-10, the Seoul International Music Fair(MU:CON) and Asia Pacific Music Meeting (APaMM) will be held in the Korean capital and Ulsan, respectively, under the auspices of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The fourth MU:CON at Dongdaemun Design Plaza October 6-8 will offer programs like showcases for K-Pop, rock and electronic music, a conference on the issues and trends of the global music industry, a production master class in which globally famous producers discuss collaboration and Festival Pitching where festival experts introduce festivals and explore opportunities to expand into new markets. APaMM will run at Ulsan Culture Art Center October 8-10 together with the Cheoyong Culture Festival to feature gugak (traditional Korean music), jazz and world music. A conference will discuss the overseas expansion of Korean music and a “One-On-One Ideal Matching Program” will connect overseas buyers to Korean artists. Figures from major music industries abroad will visit Korea to attend both music markets. Showcase programs will give Korean musicians the opportunity to be invited to SXSW of the U.S., MIDEM of France and the Glastonbury Festival of the U.K. and act as a bridgehead for Korean musicians to advance abroad.

Link: Seoul International Music Fair (http://www.mucon.kr/2015_en/)