Streaming Live on Korean Lunar New Year on February 11 at 6PM EST at Live.NationalSawdust.org

Part of the 2021 Digital Discovery Festival: BODY / SPACE

Co-presented with the Korean Cultural Center New York

We are all breathing the same air and we are all connected. Live from a theater in Seoul, percussionist Kim So Ra experiments with rhythm and movement alongside contemporary dancers Kim Young Mi and Hong Kyeong Hwa, percussionist Hyun Seung Hun, and piri (bamboo reed flute) player Hong Ji Hye for the short film Jang Dan: Breath Conversation, premiering at National Sawdust’s Digital Discovery Festival on the eve of Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year. The five artists perform in harmony, weaving an intimate choreography in this immersive visual experience. Everything begins and ends with the breath. Jang Dan: Breath Conversation is presented in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center New York, and will be co-streamed on the KCCNY Youtube channel.

A multi-award winning Korean traditional percussionist, composer, and ambassador of Honam Province Jeongeup folk music, Kim So Ra is one of the most skilled and prominent Janggu (Korean double-headed drum) players in Korea. Kim is known for her genre-bending performances combining Korean traditional sounds with creative, charismatic and modern interpretations. Kim is trained under the direct apprenticeship of human cultural asset Master Yu Jihwa and has received eight 1st-place awards from major national music competitions since 2005; including National Nongak Master Competition, Gyeonggi Nongak National Competition, National Women’s Korean Traditional Music Festival, JeonJu International Sori Festival, among others. She has performed at WOMEX 2018 and Mundial Montreal 2018 as an official showcase artist and her latest album, A Sign of Rain, was nominated as the best jazz and crossover album at the 2019 Korean Music Awards.