VR Performance Service via National Gugak Center YouTube

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The National Gugak Center will begin offering virtual reality (VR) performance services through its YouTube channel starting on the 19th.

The VR performances consist of a total of 37 repertoires, including instrumental music such as Samulnori and Sinawi; traditional dances like Seungmu, Buchaechum, Janggu Dance, Jinju Geommu, Dongnae Hakchum, and Seoljanggu Dance; as well as performances such as Panggut, Samulnori, the Changgeuk "Chunhyangjeon Sarangga," and Ssikkimgut.

The National Gugak Center's VR performance service was promoted through the 2019 Innovative Growth-Based Cultural Data Construction support project led by the Korea Culture Information Service Agency. It was composed mainly of gugak content highlighting regional characteristics from the National Gugak Center and regional gugak centers (Busan, Folk, Namdo). Additionally, content such as instrument introductions, VR content for watching performances, and 3D dance tutorials were also produced.

This content, first released via YouTube, was filmed in high resolution 8K. Each gugak performance repertoire was filmed up close from a first-person perspective to provide a vivid experience, creating a stage where viewers can feel even the performers’ fingertips or the dancers’ detailed movements, which are difficult to see clearly even in actual concert halls. Furthermore, to convey the feeling of performing on stage alongside the artists, the performances were filmed in 360 degrees, allowing viewers to enjoy the show from all directions.