Sunnyside Dance Project
Featuring Songhee Lee-Chung and Eunjoo Kang, Traditional Korean Participatory and/or Drum Dances
April 27, May 4, May 11, and May 18, 2025, from 2pm to 4pm.
46th Street between Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside
Directions
Korea Art Forum (KAF) is thrilled to announce the Sunnyside Dance Project, a unique cultural initiative presenting traditional Korean dance forms in partnership with the NYC DOT Open Streets program. The project will feature captivating participatory dances and/or drum performances, bringing together vibrant community engagement with Korea's rich artistic traditions. The performances will take place on 46th Street between Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, on the following dates: April 27 in celebration of Earth Day and May 4, 11, and 18 for Asian Heritage Month. All events will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm.
The project will feature the esteemed traditional Korean dance performers and choreographers Songhee Lee-Chung, based in Sunnyside, Queens, NY, and Eunjoo Kang, in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The artists were selected based on the shared sentiment in the performing arts field that the prominence of traditional Korean dance should be elevated to ensure it will not be forgotten in New York City's encyclopedic, diverse cultural landscape. The selection process involved curatorial research and referrals from trusted colleagues within the arts community.
Lee-Chung will be joined by the dance groups she works with at the MinKwon Center and the YWCA in Flushing, while Kang will lead Woori Garak (Our Rhythm), an ensemble of talented performers from New Jersey. Together, these master dancers will direct an intergenerational group of over 30 performers, showcasing a wide array of traditional Korean dances, including Poongmul Nori, Samul Nori, Samgomu, Modeum Book Chum, Janggo Chum, and Jindo Book Chum. After their performances, the performers will invite the audience to join Pungmul Nori, creating a dynamic and communal atmosphere.
The performances are rooted in Korea’s rhythmic percussion and dance heritage, emphasizing communal spirit, harmony, and collective energy. They embody Korean cultural identity, drawing from folk traditions, farmers’ customs, and communal celebrations. Originating from agricultural rituals, Pungmul Nori is an outdoor folk dance with drumming, singing, and acrobatics. Samul Nori is a modern, stage-focused adaptation of Pungmul Nori, featuring a quartet playing four traditional instruments. Samgo Mu involves dancing with three large drums, blending rhythmic drumming with choreographed movements. Modeum Book Chum showcases synchronized drumming with energetic dance, while Janggo Chum and Jindo Buk Chum feature rhythmic drumming combined with flowing dance movements, symbolizing vitality and communal spirit.
This performance series responds to the marginalization of traditional Korean drum and folk dancers in New York City's arts and cultural scene. Often overlooked due to factors such as artists’ age, immigration status, and the perception of their art as "traditional" rather than contemporary, the dancers and their art face challenges in gaining visibility. The Sunnyside Dance Project offers an essential platform to elevate their performances, ensuring that these exceptional art forms are not lost to future generations.
The series addresses two gaps:
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Traditional Korean dances are rarely seen in New York City.
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With the rise of theater culture in modern Korea, originally outdoor Korean folk art forms have transformed into stage performances, losing the participatory, vibrant, and communal essence that was prominent in the original form of presentation.
Our program reenacts agricultural rituals, offering New Yorkers a unique opportunity to experience traditional Korean dance as an outdoor event, just as it was long ago.
The open-air traditional Korean drum folk dances offers a unique opportunity to experience their vibrant power to foster community connection and engagement. The Open Streets format of the Sunnyside Dance Project creates an inclusive environment where dancers and the public can interact directly. The setting allows a participatory street performance, avoiding elevated stages and thus lifting the invisible fourth curtain to restore the communal spirit. This presentation strategy, which allows audiences to interact with performers, is rarely practiced today, even in Korea.
The project is rooted in KAF's commitment to enhancing arts and cultural accessibility for NYC’s immigrant communities. Many of these communities face barriers like geography, economic hardship, and language that limit their access to cultural experiences. KAF is proud to offer this program as part of its ongoing efforts to commission and present diverse arts, ensuring that New York City remains a vibrant hub for global artistic expressions.
Dates
April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18
Sundays, 2pm to 4pm.
Location
46th Street between Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside
About the Performers
Songhee Lee-Chung is a cultural bearer of traditional Korean dance. She was a principal dancer at the Pusan Metropolitan Dance Company. In 1997, the New York Times reviewed her solo recital, “Karma,” at the Hudson Guild Theater. She received grants from the Queens Council on the Arts in 2010, 2014, and 2022 and currently leads the Songhee Lee-Chung Dance Company.
Eunjoo Kang directs the Woorigarak (Our Rhythm) Korean Cultural Arts Center in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. She received the 2018 Choreography Prize in Dance from the Asian Traditional Performing Arts Competition, the Grand Prize at the 2016 Dongbu Folk Art Competition, and the 2015 World Korean Traditional Music Competition.
About Korea Art Forum (KAF)
Founded in New York City in 2013, KAF is led by artists, scholars, and peacemakers committed to bridging the world through art. The organization supports artists' social engagement and enhances people’s quality of life and well-being. It produces commissions, presentations, forums, publications, and art workshops to bring people together to share dialogues, build an interconnected world, and support inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
Thank You!
Sunnyside Dance Project is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. It is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is provided by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), the NYC Department of Transportation, and NYC Council Member Julie Won of District 26. Media sponsorship is provided by the Korean Community Media Broadcasting (KCMB). We especially thank our community partners, the Minkwon Center, the YWCA in Flushing, and Sunnyside Shines, as well as all stakeholders in the vibrant community and thriving commerce along 46th Street, between Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Avenue.
