If you have waited in line to check your blitz at the Hop recently, you've probably noticed these guys whirling and twirling and drumming up a frenzy on the television screen next to the computers. If you bothered to read the poster attached to the television, you know that these dynamic men are the members of SamulNori, a group of Korean musicians who set sound into motion.
The name of the group reveals the basic premise of SamulNori -- together the Korean words "sa" and "mul" mean "four things," while the word "nori" means "to play." SamulNori consists of four men playing and dancing with four percussion instruments. However, there is much more to the group than that -- this isn't just a few guys banging on some drums.
Kim Duk Soo, master of the changgo (hourglass drum) who was known in Korea as the child prodigy of the drums, founded SamulNori and personally selects and trains its students -- it has become the major institution of traditional Korean performance.
In 1993, SamulNori grew from a four-man ensemble to a company of thirty artists and students known as SamulNori Hanullim, Inc. Hanullim means "big bang," and SamulNori has certainly exploded onto the international scene in a huge way.
The group has toured all over the United States and has performed in Greece, Austria, Great Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, China, Australia and Germany. Though their music has its roots in Korean farmers' band music ("nong-ak") and ceremonial music, the appeal is universal.
The type of Korean music known as nong-ak was originally performed during harvest and planting festivals in the fields, and gradually became an aspect of shaman rituals used to get rid of evil spirits. These traditional shamanistic ceremonies can be seen in some of SamulNori's modern works.
In one of their pieces, a shaman's table covered with offerings of food and flowers sits on the stage. The dancing is also a large part of the ritual aspect, labeled a "rite of exorcism."
The movements of the SamulNori musicians, who wear ribbons attached to the tops of their hats, is like a Chinese festival come to life. They use their heads as instruments of movement, causing the long, streaming ribbons to swirl, dip and rise when wanted. Their bodies move in sync with the ribbons, and their squatting and rising causes the ribbons to bloom, much like a flower.
This reminds me of rhythmic gymnastics, one of my favorite events in the Summer Olympics. (This is where the women toss hoops about and get balls to roll around their bodies instead of walking the balance beam or flipping about the uneven bars.) However, those women used their hands to twirl their ribbons, while these men are using their heads to manipulate the streamers.
Both the dancing and the music of SamulNori have close ties to the natural world. Dance movements are curved instead of being artificially stiff and straight. The dancers never fully stretch their bodies and they keep their arms and shoulders rounded. This curvature extends to the music as well, because the drummer's hand traces a curved path to the drum instead of following a more jarring up-and-down movement.
The sounds of the instruments themselves also imitate nature. The hourglass drum makes a sound which resembles falling rain. The small gong suggests lightning with its sharp sounds, while the big barrel drum provides the accompanying thunder. The large gong rounds things out by representing the sound of the wind.
SamulNori comes to Dartmouth this Sunday for what promises to be a dynamic, mesmerizing show. With its combination of energetic percussion and fluid dance, the quartet is guaranteed to captivate audiences. SamulNori performs in Spaulding Auditorium Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m.
