In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea, ‘A Korean Music and Dance Performance’ was held at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater in August.

The KORUS House of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea invited Korean-American choreographer Lisa Mi-hee Seo, director of Dance One Academy and Performance Group, to stage a performance with 13 dancers. The performance featured five traditional Korean dancers including Sophia Park, jazz dancer Lim Ji Hyung, Latin dancers Brian Rennex and Maryam Moussavi, and a Korean-American hip-hop dance group from Washington D.C. In addition to dance, soprano Kotnim Chung, violist Shinwoo Kim, and harpist Cara Fleck performed music of various genres.

This event was hosted by the KORUS House of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and is sponsored by the Korea Times, the Korea Daily, and WDCT Family Radio. It welcomed all members of the Korean and American communities as part of a cultural exchange marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea.

KORUS also held its sixth annual KORUS Festival, celebrating the Korean festival of Chuseok and US-Korea ties, from Sept. 26-28 in Annadale, Va. The opening ceremony kicked off a weekend of live music, dance, and traditional culture open to the public, presented by the Korean-American Association of Washington Metropolitan Area in cooperation with the KORUS House of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

The festival displayed many aspects of Korea’s vibrant culture in the form of traditional and popular music and dance, a wide array of traditional and street food, Tae Kwon Do exhibitions and other performances intended to bring local communities together. Notable performers included break-dancers JinJo Crew, modern percussion group Heuk So Ri, and fusion folk musicians Hwang Jin Yi.