A Master Class, 7000 Miles Apart

DanceMotion USA got to help BAM Education test out its new equipment in our first ever distance learning event.

The event brought together middle-and-high school students from the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Institute (KTMDI) in New York City and middle-and-high school students of renowned Korean dance master Yi-Jo Lim in Seoul, Korea.

First the students from KTMDI performed drum dances for Master Lim and the Korean audience.
They may be young, but these Brooklyn dancers amazed the audience and received praise from Lim in Korea.

JindoBukchum, Jindo Drum Dance, KTMDI in Brooklyn

Janggochum, Janggo Solo Dance

Then, the KTMDI students sat down to watch as Master Lim and his students performed at Seoul Institute for the Arts  for the group in Brooklyn.

Watching HanRyangMu, the Noblemen's Dance


Not only did the class offer the Korean-American students at KTMDI a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most important figures in Korean dance, it also gave New York-based dancer (and KTMDI President) Yoon Sook Park the chance to reconnect with her teacher, Master Lim. 

Master Teacher Lim, Yi-Jo (in orange) teaches on screen

KTMDI students learn footwork up close...

...and put it together with arm movements. 



The evening concluded with the two groups posing for final portraits together, 7000 miles apart.

Watch the video of our distance learning event here.

You can also catch our next distance learning event live this Friday, when our performances at BAM are streamed to Seoul and Idaho, and all three audiences can ask questions at our post-show discussion.