Living more than 7,000 kilometers away from their homeland, Koreans in Ukraine form tight bonds to preserve their identity.
During the Festival of Korean Culture in Kyiv, they will demonstrate their cultural essentials through dance, dress and national cuisine.
The festival will open with Korean-style beats and movements. The headliner will be the only Korean dance group in Kyiv, Toradi. Dressed in bright hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, Toradi will perform ethnic dances that date back to shamanistic rituals practiced 5,000 years ago.
Another highlight of the festival will be the exhibition of hanboks of all styles and colors. Traditional dress has no pockets and is rather simple in design. Koreans used to wear them on a daily basis, but a couple of decades ago they switched to jeans and t-shirts.
Korean cuisine, limited to only a couple of food joints in Kyiv, will get well-deserved publicity during the show. Get ready for a feast of fish, rice, noodles and meat smothered in spices.
Sept. 25 from 3 p.m., Cinema House, 6 Saksaganskogo, metro Palats Sportu. Free admission.
